Private sector, federal agency experts join Biden Administration to boost healthcare supply chain

Editor's Note

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has engaged experts from the private sector and various government agencies to “share information and best practices, identify threats, and mitigate risks” regarding the US supply chains, including for healthcare, according to an Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response March 9 announcement.

This team of 179 experts—comprising private industry, academia, and 27 federal agencies—is called the Joint Supply Chain Resilience Working Group. It was established by the US Department of Defense on August 30, 2021, to assist in the implementation of the National Strategy for a Resilient Public Health Supply Chain,​ under the Department of Homeland Security’s Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council. The group has three main objectives:

1. share information in “near-real-time”
2. collaborate to identify supply chain resilience priorities and emerging risks
3. build toward a “more agile, visible, and robust US public health supply chain” that is jointly established by the federal government and industry partners.

Healthcare Purchasing News May 25 announced that Premier Inc., a healthcare improvement company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently joined the working group. Other recently joined healthcare players include the American Red Cross and the Advanced Medical Technology Association.