Statement on the Introduction of the Medical and Health Stockpile Accountability Act
By Michael J. Alkire, President and CEO, Premier Inc.
Soumi Saha, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Premier Inc.
Premier thanks Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Troy Balderson (R-OH) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) for their bipartisan leadership to – for the first time – establish, real-time visibility into the quantity and location of critical medical supplies and pharmaceuticals on U.S. soil. The Medical and Health Stockpile Accountability Act (H.R. 3577) would require the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to establish an automated supply chain tracking application that provides insight into critical medical supplies across the country.
“This legislation is essential to addressing a major blind spot in our nation’s preparedness and will help pinpoint the intersection of supply and demand, better identify areas of vulnerability, and enable timely access to the vital supplies providers need to care for patients. COVID-19 was a wakeup call that real change is necessary across the supply chain information technology (IT) ecosystem – beginning with access to robust and timely visibility. This will enable accurate inventory management, dynamic allocation – the delivery of existing products to areas in greatest need – and a fact-driven approach to ramping up supply during shortages. Not only will this help providers anticipate demand for key products, but it will also allow the nation to better manage supplies during a crisis,” said Michael J. Alkire, President and CEO of Premier, Inc.
“An August 2021 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted the antiquated nature of our supply chain information systems throughout the pandemic that burdened public health authorities and healthcare providers with time-consuming manual work all while failing to provide early warnings of supply shortages, putting communities and patients at risk. The Medical and Health Stockpile Accountability Act takes these lessons learned and catapults our nation’s supply chain infrastructure into the 21st century – not only to help limit risk and ensure greater resiliency for the next pandemic – but also to drive cost, quality and outcomes transformation for the healthcare industry of the future. Premier urges Congress to pass the Medical and Health Stockpile Accountability Act as part of the forthcoming Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization,” added Soumi Saha, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs of Premier, Inc.