COVID-19 Resource Roundup for Healthcare Supply Chain Leaders

With a quick Google search for tools and advice for dealing with COVID-19 for the healthcare supply chain today, you will find no shortage of whitepapers, checklists, toolkits, articles, research papers, regulatory updates, guidelines, and a multitude of real-time data visualizations to geek-out on. The sheer number of resources published on this topic in such a short period of time is mind-blowing, so it can easily become information overload. One increasingly common theme that I’ve heard from healthcare provider supply chain leaders over the past month is that dealing with COVID-19 is an all-consuming, 7 days/week, 12-15 hours/day job. So, with everyone’s limited availability these days, I thought it would be a good idea to write a Resource Roundup to blog about some of the cool/interesting/valuable resources that I think healthcare supply chain leaders might find valuable. This is my first blog post, and I will plan to share about 3 to 5 new resources/updates in this topic every Thursday morning. Many of the links I will share will be from sources unrelated to Gartner, but it’s possible that some content may not be viewable without a Gartner login.

For Gartner clients, if you haven’t seen it yet, please view my latest research on the novel coronavirus – Initial Lessons From Healthcare Supply Chain Leaders in Meeting COVID-19 Demand.

LEADERSHIP

• Comprehensive Hospital Preparedness Checklist for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 – This checklist from the CDC can help hospitals assess and improve their preparedness for responding to a community-wide outbreak of COVID-19. Each hospital can adapt this checklist to meet its unique needs and circumstances. This checklist should be used as one of several tools for evaluating current plans or in developing a comprehensive COVID-19 preparedness plan.
• 4 Actions to Be a Strong Leader During COVID-19 Disruption – I thought this was a great Smarter With Gartner article, and thought you might enjoy it as well.
• UW Medicine COVID-19 Resource Site – An comprehensive list of policies and protocols for dealing with many different aspects of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• FDA – Enforcement Policy for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) During COVID-19: Immediately in Effect Guidance – PDF slides from the FDA’s 04/06/20 webinar regarding the recently issued, immediately in effect guidance on enforcement policy for personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID-19 (including masks/respirators and gowns/other apparel).

SUPPLY/DEMAND

• PPE Burn Rate Calculator – This Excel spreadsheet tool from the CDC can help healthcare facilities plan and optimize the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). More info here.
• Procedure to Maximize the Effectiveness of Ventilator Distribution Across States – This spreadsheet outlines a process states can use to gather hospital data needed to identify where ventilators are needed and deliver them directly to receiving hospitals. More info here.
• Intensive Care Ventilators Product Comparison: An Excel spreadsheet from ECRI that compares currently marketed models that includes suppliers and their models from around the world. More info here.
• Sourcing – Below are 3 industry resources that are being offered for free by these organizations to help you source substitute products.
  • ECRI – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply Equivalents – An Excel spreadsheet of best matches for the three most popular air clearance units, breathing circuits, disinfecting wipes, HME filters, IV solutions, and universal transfer media. ECRI’s database includes manufacturer name, catalog number, percentage match, median price, and KPI details.
  • GHX – Sourcing Alternatives for Critical Supplies – A PDF reference list of vendors for critical supplies at risk of shortages, by product category.
  • Prodigo – Common COVID-19 Items List  – An enriched item file Excel spreadsheet containing items commonly used by health systems to protect workers and support patient care.

I will plan on publishing updates to this blog every Thursday morning, at least for the next few weeks. If you found something here useful, please feel free to comment below and/or share with others who might value the insights.