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The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) recently conducted a survey on drug shortages in the healthcare supply chain.
According to the study, U.S. hospitals are dealing with an unprecedented number of drug shortages and a lack of resources to deal with them. Overall, 70% of the respondents felt that the information resources available to manage drug shortages were “not good.” Clearly this gap in information (and the estimated labor costs associated with managing shortages in the U.S.: $216 million annually) is having a profound effect on patient care in regards to cost, quality, and safety.