10 minute read
HIDA
from REP Feb 21
Distributors Help Providers Avoid Fraudulent PPE Offers
The ongoing battle against COVID-19 continues to generate unprecedented demand for personal protective
equipment (PPE). Faced with continued shortages, healthcare providers may be tempted to deal with unfamiliar sellers, even though many offers have proven to be fraudulent. Healthcare distributors can help providers reduce or avoid these risks.
What are the business risks associated with using an unfamiliar PPE source?
The most critical risk is receiving unapproved, unsafe products. Providers who have used unvetted sources report having received incorrect product, poor quality items, or counterfeit items that fail to protect staff adequately. Other risks include losing money and wasting staff time.
What can you do to minimize the risk of sourcing from unknown vendors?
Healthcare providers can trust their distributor partner to vet new sources. Purchasers who do their own sourcing should be aware that offers that sound too good to be true often are. If considering an unfamiliar source, do basic due diligence such as checking references and securing a sample. Watch for red flags including: ʯ Unrealistic promises such as too-good-to-be-true prices or volumes ʯ Advance-payment requirements ʯ Last-minute changes in payment instructions ʯ Claims that the goods are not yet produced ʯ Sellers who refuse to state which company they represent until it is time to make an agreement
What is a distributor’s role in vetting new sources of PPE?
Distributors vet and identify new PPE sources, leveraging the expertise they have developed as trusted partners with both providers and manufacturers. Additionally, some distributors have international employees or agents who can evaluate inventory at overseas sites.
What other resources are available to determine if a new source is legitimate?
Many manufacturers of PPE post helpful end-user purchasing information on their websites, such as lists (or hotlines) to confirm authorized sellers, the models and list prices at which their products may be sold, and descriptions of the intended use, labeling, packaging and certification of various PPE supplies.
Government regulators also maintain databases providers can check to determine if a vendor is authentic: ʯ Office of Inspector General Exclusions Program identifies federally excluded organizations and individuals (https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/ index.asp) ʯ System for Award Management tracks whether an organization can do business with the federal government (www.sam.gov/SAM) ʯ FDA Establishment Registration & Device Listing identifies companies and the US Agent registered with the FDA (www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ cdrh/cfdocs/cfRL/rl.cfm) ʯ FDA 510(k) Database identifies whether a company provided proof to the FDA that its products are as safe (www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/ cfdocs/cfPMN/pmn.cfm) ʯ Counterfeit Respirators/Misrepresentation of NIOSH Approval resource page describes how to spot counterfeit product (www.cdc.gov/niosh/ npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp.html)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, distributors have partnered with their provider customers to secure FDA-approved PPE and to identify appropriate substitutes for products that are in particularly short supply. Providers can continue to rely on distributors to find and deliver the supplies they need to keep themselves and their patients safe.
For more distributor resources including infographics and FAQs to share with clients, visit HIDA.org/ UnderstandingHealthcareDistribution.
Editor’s note: Technology is playing an increasing role in the day-to-day business of sales reps. In this department, Repertoire will profile the latest developments in software and gadgets that reps can use for work and play.
Technology news
Immerse yourself
LG Display announced that it will showcase the world’s first 48-inch Bendable Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) optimized for gaming at CES 2021. The 48-inch Bendable CSO display utilizes OLED’s advantages as its paperthin screen bends and unfolds with a curvature radius of up to 1,000R, meaning that it can be made to bend up to a radius of 1,000mm without affecting the function of the display. It can therefore be turned into a flat screen while watching TV and used as a curved screen while gaming. The curved display offers a uniform viewing distance from the middle of the screen to its edge, maximizing the visual immersion that is popular among gamers. In addition, the company’s CSO technology enables OLED displays to vibrate and make their own sound without the use of any speakers, offering a vivid sense of reality as if the on-screen characters were talking directly to the viewer. The 48-inch Bendable CSO display’s ultra slim film exciter, which is the part that vibrates the display, has been reduced to a thickness of just 0.6mm from 9mm and therefore allows viewers to enjoy a thinner screen as well as highly impressive sound.
Who needs a desk phone?
Microsoft is overhauling its calling features inside Microsoft Teams, reports The Verge. A new calling interface will show contacts, voicemail, and calling history in a single location. It’s designed to allow Microsoft Teams to more easily replace desk phones, with built-in spam call protection, reverse number lookup, and the ability to merge calls. Microsoft Teams users will also be able to transfer calls between mobile and desktop soon, allowing people to move locations in the middle of an audio or video call. The Teams app will let people join without audio on an
additional device, or transfer the call and end it automatically on other devices. Microsoft says this particular feature will be available in early 2021.
A 15-year-old laptop?!?
Dell wants to redesign its products so every one of them can be recycled or reused rather than thrown out, reports Fast Company. But that will take some doing. A typical laptop might have more than 200 components made from multiple materials that are glued and screwed together. It’s not simple to dissemble for recycling. The company is testing a design that would let someone push a pin in the side of a device to trigger the whole thing popping apart. “We want to go from something that might take an hour to disassemble to two minutes or less,” Ed Boyd, senior vice president, was quoted as saying. The company is also focusing on how to make its products last longer. Outer materials may be designed differently to resist signs of wear (or to acquire a patina over time, like vintage tools). Inside, artificial intelligence and machine learning could help the system last longer by making adjustments over time for energy efficiency. Software can continue to be upgraded over the cloud. “Imagine buying a PC and it lasts for 10 or 15 years, because it’s faster in year 10 than it was in year one!” said Boyd.
Clearer vision for those with macular degeneration
An estimated 11 million people in the U.S. have some form of age-related macular degeneration, and the number is expected to double by 2050. Pleasanton, California-based IrisVision has introduced a set of goggles that use the technology of a Samsung smartphone to enhance vision for those who are visually impaired by macular degeneration, reports Lifewire. “IrisVision helps the user’s brain use the parts of their eyes that still function properly and provides enough information to fill in the gaps and remap the scene captured by the smartphone camera into a complete picture,” IrisVision co-founder and CEO Ammad Khan was quoted as saying. The goggles aren’t cheap, costing about $3,000.
Amazon launched a new group video or audio calling feature for Echo devices, reports The Verge. Up to seven participants can join an audio or video call on supported Echo devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. Echo owners will be able to create and name groups using the Alexa app, and Amazon is also planning to support group calling through its Alexa app. There are no limits on call times. Without the Alexa app supporting group calling, it’s limited to requiring hardware for now, though.
Did you hear his tweet?
Twitter says its beta test of audio chat rooms – a feature called Spaces – is now live, reports CNET. The feature would allow users to share audio clips in tweets and direct messages. Users would also be able to create their own rooms for others to join, and they would have control over who can speak in those spaces. Twitter was also reported testing live transcriptions, emoji reactions, reporting and blocking, and sharing tweets in Spaces.
AirPods to the Max
Apple recently unveiled the AirPods Max, wireless headphones that bring the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound. AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio. AirPods Max come in five gorgeous colors, including space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. From the canopy to the ear cushions, every part of AirPods Max “is carefully crafted to provide exceptional acoustic performance for each user,” Apple said. The breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband, is made to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure. The stainless steel headband frame provides strength, flexibility, and comfort for a wide variety of head shapes and sizes. Telescoping headband arms smoothly extend and stay in place to maintain the desired fit.
Chances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s something that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.
Automotive-related news
Flying cars could become a thing
Uber has scaled back some of its most ambitious hightech programs, including its air mobility business, reports NBC News. But interest in flying cars and taxicabs continues nevertheless. In December, Uber offloaded Uber Elevate, its air taxi operation. Joby Aviation of California will take over Elevate as part of a deal in which Uber will invest $75 million in the startup. Meanwhile, Hyundai and Toyota are ramping up their air mobility plans. In October, Hyundai said it would set up a separate unit to develop a complete lineup of airborne products. Meanwhile, Toyota is backing Cartivator Resource Management, which had been planning to demonstrate a single-seat flying car during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which have been delayed until next year. Still unanswered: Where will they park???
Edmunds recently revealed its top rated cars, trucks and SUVs for 2021. Among the winners:
ʯ Top rated SUV: Kia Telluride ʯ Top rated luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLE ʯ Top rated truck: Ford F150 ʯ Top rated sports car: Chevrolet Corvette ʯ Top rated EV: Tesla Model 3 ʯ Top rated luxury EV: Ford Mustang Mach-E ʯ Top rated sedan: Kia 5 ʯ Top rated luxury sedan: Mercedes Benz E-Class
Manufacturers improve headlight offerings
Several manufacturers improved their 2021 headlight offerings by eliminating or modifying inferior choices, according to new ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Since 2020, vehicles have only been able to qualify for the higher of the Institute’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards if they come equipped with good or acceptable headlights across all trims. (Many manufacturers have historically sold models with several different headlight systems of varying quality.) The 10 car models to be recognized are the Audi A7, Honda Accord, Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-30, Nissan Altima, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volvo S60, Volvo XC40 and Volvo XC60. The Institute rates headlights on the distance that their low beams and high beams illuminate straight and curved roads. On a straightaway, good-rated low beams illuminate the right side of the road ahead to at least 325 feet. Poor ones might light up 220 feet or even less. IIHS engineers also deduct points for headlights that produce glare that can momentarily blind oncoming drivers. Extra credit is awarded for systems with high-beam assist, a feature that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, since research shows that most drivers don’t use their high beams enough.
Driving facilities decline in 2019
Traffic deaths decreased nationwide during 2019 as compared to 2018, and alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased to the lowest percentage since 1982, when the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started reporting alcohol data. There were 36,096 fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019. This represents a decrease of 739 (down 2%) from the reported 36,835 fatalities in 2018, even though vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 0.8%. As a result, the fatality rate for 2019 was 1.10 fatalities per 100 million VMT – the lowest rate since 2014, and down from 1.14 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2018. Pedestrian and pedalcyclist fatalities dropped as well.
