GPO RESPONSE
Leading IDNs are being judicious with supply orders “for the foreseeable future,” GPO executive says Editor’s note: As the coronavirus pandemic has evolved, JHC has reached out to several healthcare supply chain organizations to help assess the situation for our readers to try and make sense of what is going on. The following are responses from Chaun Powell, MBA, group vice president, strategic supplier engagement, Premier, originally posted on JHC’s blog in late March.
The Journal of Healthcare Contract-
caregivers at these facilities are working
Over the next five weeks we tracked the
ing (JHC): How are you working with
around the clock to promote the safety of
progress of the virus and the impact to
member organizations to identify
their patients and clinicians, and we must
the global supply chain, yet the impact on
and mitigate potential impacts or
do all we can as a country to support
the U.S. was minimal. Less than a month
supply disruptions?
them. Above all, we would
ago, there were still only three states with
Chaun Powell: This is an
like to thank our caregivers
fewer than 10 confirmed patients do-
incredibly challenging and
for everything they’re doing
mestically. Now we are serving providers
fluid situation with variables
to provide critical care to
across 49 states dealing with more than
that are in constant flux. As
our communities.
3,500 confirmed cases. In order to be ef-
a member-driven organiza-
fective, we have had to pivot our internal
insight on the speed at
processes significantly to make sure that
behalf of nearly 4,000
which this is escalating, the
our clinicians are able to deliver uninter-
acute care hospitals and
Premier Disaster Prepared-
rupted care. In addition to the work that
health systems and 175,000
ness and Response Team
we are doing with members, we are also
activated on January 24.
partnering with government agencies, the
non-acute providers. The
28
To provide some
tion, we are working on
Chaun Powell
Special Issue 2020 | The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
