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Premier previously warned of the perils of the gray market for personal protective equipment (PPE) and its potential impact on healthcare providers, and since that warning in mid-March, PPE scams by gray marketers have only multiplied. Supplies surfacing on the gray market include N95 masks, isolation gowns, testing kits, viral swabs, hand sanitizer and other products in scarcity.
Scammers prey on the goodwill of providers, peddling PPE coveted by doctors, nurses and other staff members on the frontlines of the pandemic, and the scams can take multiple forms. According to a survey of our members, 60 percent of facilities have received at least one of these offers, and Premier itself has received hundreds of these solicitations. See recent examples here. Our findings are that less than 5 percent of these offers are legitimate.
Regardless of the form, these scams typically end with providers losing time, money and/or resources. Others find themselves the recipients of substandard or unsafe product – if they receive anything at all.
If vetting offers, bear these best practices in mind:
Given Premier’s relationships with stakeholders throughout the supply chain, including manufacturers and distributors, we can activate the appropriate parties to vet products presented to us. It is not hard for a manufacturer to spot a fake – a logo may be misplaced, for example, or the coloring may be off. However, the untrained eye may not be able to differentiate the counterfeit good from top-quality PPE.
Scammers are preying on everyone's natural desire to do the right thing. As solicitations for PPE swell, so do the risks. Unauthorized products jeopardize patient and worker safety, can proliferate spread of infectious organisms through fake PPE, and result in dollars squandered and disappointment.
Mistakes are learning opportunities but, in this case, avoiding them entirely is more advisable. Email our Disaster Response inbox for help vetting gray market offers and to avoid putting staff, clinicians, physicians and patients at risk.
During COVID-19, Premier continues to act as a trusted connection point for healthcare providers, suppliers and the government. We are working 24/7 to address challenges as they occur and help our alliance of more than 4,000 hospitals and health systems and 175,000 non-acute providers access the supplies they need to serve their communities. We are also partnering with the Administration and private sector to create both short-term and long-term solutions, and sharing our insights to help inform the public understanding.