From higher material costs to new tariffs, ASCs could face a new wave of supply chain pressures in 2026.
Here are seven key things to know:
1. Medical supply chain costs are projected to rise 2.41% in 2026, up from the 2.3% forecast in January, Vizient’s Summer 2025 Spend Management Outlook found. The increase will be driven largely by higher costs for IT services, capital equipment and surgical supplies.
2. Pharmaceutical prices are also expected to climb 3.35%, fueled by the growth of high-cost therapies such as GLP-1 drugs and CAR-T treatments. Indirect costs, particularly IT, are expected to jump 5.5%.
3. Adding to financial strain, a recent audit by HHS’ Office of Inspector General found $22.7 million in improper Medicare payments to suppliers from 2018 to 2024. The payments were made for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies provided to beneficiaries during inpatient stays, a violation of Medicare rules requiring such items to be furnished directly by the facility or through contracted arrangements.
4. Meanwhile, tariffs on foreign-made medical goods are compounding cost pressures. Industry groups, including AdvaMed, warn that tariffs imposed earlier in 2025 on PPE, consumables, devices and drugs have already driven up costs and reduced R&D investment. The group cautioned that small and midsize manufacturers may be forced out of the market due to long lead times and multimillion-dollar expenses required to shift suppliers.
5. The national drug shortage, already affecting about 250 medications, could worsen if new tariffs on branded pharmaceuticals take effect. As of Oct. 7, President Donald Trump has delayed proposed tariffs on branded medications while continuing negotiations with drugmakers.
6. Over the summer, the U.S. capped tariffs on pharmaceutical exports from the European Union at 15% and exempted generic drugs from the same baseline tariff applied to Japanese products.
7. Finally, ASCs and wound care providers are watching a looming Medicare payment change that could disrupt the supply of advanced wound grafts used to treat chronic ulcers. A rule set to take effect Jan. 1 would eliminate reimbursement for many skin substitute products used in physician offices and home settings. The Medicare Access to Skin Substitutes Coalition warned the change could drive companies out of the market and put patients with diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers at greater risk of infection, amputation or death.
