Over the past several decades, supply chain disruptions have repeatedly plagued the U.S. health care system, costing health care systems millions of dollars per year, threatening the clinical research enterprise, and most importantly, imperiling the health and lives of patients. The Committee on Security of America's Medical Supply Chain, convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, was charged with addressing this important issue by examining the root causes of medical product shortages and identifying ways to enhance their resilience - both in so-called normal times and during public health emergencies.

Building Resilience into the Nation's Medical Product Supply Chains outlines the committee's seven recommendations and presents a framework of protection comprising awareness, mitigation, preparedness, and response measures.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON SECURITY OF AMERICA’S MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Abstract
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Summary
  • DEFINING SUPPLY CHAIN CRITICAL MEDICAL PRODUCTS
  • UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • GLOBALIZATION OF U.S. MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • CAUSES OF FAILURES OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • FRAMEWORK FOR IMPROVING THE RESILIENCE OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • AWARENESS
  • MITIGATION
  • PREPAREDNESS
  • RESPONSE
  • CONCLUDING REMARKS
• I. OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • 1. Introduction
    • CONTEXT FOR THIS STUDY
    • STUDY APPROACH
    • REFERENCES
  • 2. Understanding Medical Product Supply Chains
    • OVERVIEW OF THE MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM
    • DIFFERENCES IN SUPPLY CHAIN ECONOMICS BY PRODUCT CATEGORY
    • POLICY UNDERPINNINGS OF U.S. MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • CONCLUDING REMARKS
    • REFERENCES
  • 3. Globalization of U.S. Medical Product Supply Chains
    • GLOBAL LANDSCAPE OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • GEOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • IMPACTS OF GLOBALIZATION
    • CONCLUDING REMARKS
    • REFERENCES
  • 4. Causes and Consequences of Medical Product Supply Chain Failures
    • MECHANICS OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN FAILURES
    • DEMAND SURGES
    • CAPACITY REDUCTIONS
    • REFERENCES
• II. MEASURES FOR ENHANCING THE RESILIENCY OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
  • 5. A Framework for Resilient Medical Product Supply Chains
    • DEFINING RESILIENCE FOR MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • MULTILAYERED PROTECTION
    • THE COMMITTEE’S MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK
    • CONCLUDING REMARKS AND OVERVIEW OF COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 6. Awareness Measures for Resilient Medical Product Supply Chains
    • TRANSPARENCY
    • ANALYTICS
    • COMMUNICATION
    • CURRENT EFFORTS TO INCREASE AWARENESS
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 7. Mitigation Measures for Resilient Medical Product Supply Chains
    • INCENTIVES FOR QUALITY AND RELIABILITY
    • HARDENING DAY-TO-DAY MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • DIVERSIFICATION OF MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • RECOMMENDATION
    • REFERENCES
  • 8. Preparedness Measures for Resilient Medical Product Supply Chains
    • INVENTORY STOCKPILING
    • CAPACITY BUFFERING
    • BUT BUFFER FLEXIBILITY
    • CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND READINESS
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • REFERENCES
  • 9. Response Measures for Resilient Medical Product Supply Chains
    • RESPONSE MEASURES FOR GLOBAL MEDICAL PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS
    • RESPONSE MEASURES FOR LAST-MILE DELIVERY AND END USERS
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • REFERENCES
• Appendix A. Study Methods and Public Agendas
• Appendix B. Summary of Recommendations from Contemporary Reports
• Appendix C. Determining Risk Values When Evaluating Medical Product Supply Chain Resilience
• Appendix D. Commissioned Economic Analysis
• Appendix E. Committee and Staff Biosketches
• Appendix F. Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Building resilience into the nation’s medical product supply chains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26420.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26420

Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

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