Here are seven supply chain updates for ASC leaders to know that Becker's has reported since Sept. 6:
1. The U.S. freight rail system is facing issues that could worsen supply chain delays the medical industry already faces. Industry professionals are calling it "the worst rail service they've ever experienced."
2. SmileDirectClub has become a member of the Dental Trade Alliance, a dental supply distributor network.
3. HHS awarded a $19.8 million contract to AmerisourceBergen, a Conshohocken, Pa.-based drug company, to speed up the delivery of monkeypox doses and treatments in the U.S.
4. Medline, a supply distributor based in Northfield, Ill., devoted half a billion dollars to its efforts to "ensure product availability and timely delivery" of medical products. The latest $500 million investment brings Medline's total, on-hand inventory to more than $4 billion.
5. As natural disasters become more frequent with climate change, experts say the supply chain crisis could also be exacerbated with increased shortages, delayed deliveries and higher prices. Read more insights from experts here.
6. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to reinforce domestic manufacturing capabilities. The initiative mandates that the federal government buy more bio-based products, which can include plastics, fuels, materials and medicines.
7. Two deaths, three injuries and 15 complaints prompted Medtronic Xomed to recall 392,289 ventilation tubes used during surgeries in a class 1 recall. Most of the recalled devices are outside the U.S.