Supply Chain

The CDC relaxed indoor mask guidance Feb. 25, now relying on a framework in which a community falls in one of three categories based on how COVID-19 is affecting its healthcare system.

Drugs and other medical supplies make up one of the largest portions of an ASC's expenditures. 

After Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized military action in Ukraine and recognized two regions claimed by separatist groups as independent countries, much of the rest of the world announced harsh sanctions against Russia.

Not every ASC is built the same, and the gaps in operating revenue between the smallest and the largest can be tens of millions of dollars.

Even as COVID-19 cases decline nationally, supply chain disruptions related to the pandemic are still hurting ASC's ability to function. 

Medical supply company Young Innovations is acquiring pharmaceutical and surgical supplier Medical Purchasing Solutions.

About 95 percent of U.S. physicians don't think the vulnerabilities the COVID-19 pandemic revealed will go away, according to recent survey findings.

The Justice Department and FBI have enacted a new initiative to detect and prosecute collusive exploitation of supply chain disruptions, the department said Feb. 16.

Vizient, the largest group purchasing organization in the nation, awarded a contract to medical device company Olympus for single-use bronchoscopes.

Here are six supply chain updates from the last week: