How the U.S. can mitigate and prevent medical device shortages

Just weeks after the U.S. declared Covid-19 to be a public health emergency in early 2020, shortages of personal protective equipment for health care providers and medical devices dominated headlines, and many Americans were soon directly affected by the lack of these essential products.

Covid-19 exposed weaknesses in the U.S. supply chain and the country’s overdependence on medical supplies, devices, and components imported from overseas. Shortages persist today and span a variety of categories, including supplies essential for patient care such as blood collection tubes, contrast media, and more.

While the pandemic fueled much-needed progress on supply chain resilience, policymakers, manufacturers, and other key stakeholders can help prevent or resolve future shortages of medical devices.

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