COVID-19 has placed a tremendous strain on the world’s supply chains. The challenges meant many health care organizations had difficulties getting the goods required to treat patients and keep employees safe. Here’s a look at some of the changes people can expect in the post-pandemic world.
More Dependence on Artificial Intelligence
An increasing number of manufacturers, retailers and other parties who must assess customer demand use artificial intelligence (AI) to help. Taking that approach will probably become more common, especially as health care leaders seek to avoid future supply chain shocks.
Mike Alkire is the president of Premier, a company that specializes in AI and data-driven health care solutions. In an interview with S&P Global Market Intelligence, Alkire said, “If you were going to characterize me going forward and some of the areas of focus that I have, it’s going to be: How do we get a lot closer to using machine learning and artificial intelligence really to inform the way that we’re providing health care to patients?”
In 2020, Alkire and some colleagues used an existing platform containing the electronic health records of more than 200,000 providers and medical organizations. They used machine learning to spot possible signs of COVID-19 in patient records, such as when people had trouble breathing. That allowed Premier to determine potential hot spots for the virus.
The company also designed an algorithm to predict which types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and drugs hospitals would need as the virus spread.
Investing in artificial intelligence to solve supply chain issues is not a quick solution. However, applications like those described here can help hospitals and associated parties take proactive steps to prevent shortages.
More Efforts Made to Shrink the Supply Chain’s Size
Masks and ventilators got a lot of attention during COVID-19 supply shortages. However, now that many medical facility leaders have dealt with those difficult times firsthand, they’ll likely adopt broader perspectives about the various resources associated with the goods they need.
For example, water used in the pharmaceutical industry goes through a two-stage purification process. It may also be further processed depending on the application, such as intravenous administration. This example shows why people managing the health care supply chain in the post-pandemic world must keep an eye on single ingredients and components in addition to the finished goods.
These parties may also strengthen their supply chains by creating a smaller network. That way, the products and materials don’t need to travel as far to reach their destinations.
One study found that 60% of health care organizations had regionalized their supply chains to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 33% had restructured things so production occurred closer to the end markets.
An Emphasis on Waste Reduction
Medical waste was an issue long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. One study found that a single hysterectomy generates up to 20 pounds. However, some people argue that we cannot use the pandemic as an excuse to favor single-use medical devices over reusable ones.
Some medical supplies are not feasibly reusable for patient and staff safety reasons. However, the supply chain strains caused by the pandemic may encourage people to prioritize reuse.
One investigation of electrophysiology catheters found that remanufacturing led to a 50% reduction in associated carbon emissions. However, avoiding too much dependence on disposable items does more than help the planet. It also gives medical facilities a resource to tap into when supplies run low.
Hospitals Exploring New Avenues to Get What’s Needed
The pandemic forced health care organizations to investigate different ways to get supplies without risking safety or quality. Representatives at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center collaborated weekly with other hospitals in the state’s health system to see where shortages existed.
They then began producing the liquid for COVID-19 test kits in-house and 3D printing the swabs. Sharing this recipe with other hospitals around the country helped people from outside Ohio benefit.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center had the advantage of being on a university campus. People sourced PPE from other buildings that were not using it due to stay-at-home orders. A centralized warehouse of supplies helped confirm the current situation, and people from the community could come to the warehouse to donate goods.
COVID-19 Taught Lifelong Lessons
Many people consider the COVID-19 pandemic to be unlike anything they’ve faced before, and health care workers experience many of the associated challenges daily. The crisis has brought hard lessons that show the necessity of making supply chains more resilient. The strategies here have already helped, and they’re useful for the future.
About the author
Jane Marsh
Jane works as an environmental and energy journalist. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co.
