IV fluid shortages

MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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I got an email last week that Baxter International, the leading supplier of IV fluids to hospitals, had to close it's facility in North Carolina due to the hurricane with no estimated date of reopening.

They appear to supply 60% of the nation's IV fluid bags.

My local EMS agency sent out an email with suggestions of conserving IV fluid use.

This seems to happen every few years and it has a significant impact on the healthcare system.

Why haven't we diversified suppliers?
 
MMiz said:
I got an email last week that Baxter International, the leading supplier of IV fluids to hospitals, had to close it's facility in North Carolina due to the hurricane with no estimated date of reopening.

They appear to supply 60% of the nation's IV fluid bags.

My local EMS agency sent out an email with suggestions of conserving IV fluid use.

This seems to happen every few years and it has a significant impact on the healthcare system.

Why haven't we diversified suppliers?
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Probably not enough money in it if more were to produce the stuff. At least that’s my opinion, could be other reasons.
 
Back orders on the most mundane stuff is day to day routine for medical supply chain anymore. It doesn't take a strike or a hurricane to be told out of the blue that something available in common form at a supermarket like sodium bicarbonate is on back order with no resolution date. Savvy supply chain managers have learned to hoard, find analogues, make friends and, most of all, have a plan B.
 
Riduclious stuff is always back ordered. Ativan. Adenosine. Epi 1:10.
I can’t get Levophed in bags.

I was told I am able to get 24 1000 bags of IV fluid this month.

This is a mess.
 
The only Baxter IV fluid that I currently have on my shelf are NS 500mL bags. All my other fluid are B. Braun.

I imagine we will see some limited supply from everyone having to order from non Baxter companies. We are pretty diversified as every medication and fluid that I order, there are multiple vendors I pick from.

As others have said, things are always on back order. Currently on back order for me are: Ativan, Dopamine, Nitro IV, and Kings. We finally have a good supply of Ketamine. Next month there will a new shortage of a medication or equipment.
 
I’m still waiting on my Fentanyl order.
Hey….what are all those cop cars out front???
 
I didn't realize that shortages were so common.

Do systems with larger budgets hoard supplies to get through the shortages, or is it just a matter of calling multiple suppliers?
 
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MMiz; the best answer to your question is Yes; companies do both and still get caught with shortages.
 
MMiz said:
I didn't realize that shortages were so common.

Do systems with larger budgets horde supplies to get through the shortages, or is it just a matter of calling multiple suppliers?
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Yes to pretty much both of those. We do the majority of our ordering through McKesson. We will be given an amount of medication in their warehouse that is allocated to our company. We also utilize multiple suppliers on McKesson and Boundtree to get the best price and to also get whatever is available.

We are currently in the process of making our own warehouse to store medications/fluids/equipment but it has been a process with regulations/certifications. We are doing this to both help internally with shortages and also to save money. There are some medications that we don’t use frequently like Pitocin but when it expires I have to buy a whole box instead of just a couple of vials. McKesson will sometimes break down items into the each quantity however it’s not often for medications.
 
Not allowing medications to be sold by the vial vs a whole box is wasteful. I use meds like terbutaline once a year, but have to buy 25 vials of it. I then throw it all the rest away.
 
NomadicMedic said:
Not allowing medications to be sold by the vial vs a whole box is wasteful. I use meds like terbutaline once a year, but have to buy 25 vials of it. I then throw it all the rest away.
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Check henry schein.
 
NomadicMedic said:
Not allowing medications to be sold by the vial vs a whole box is wasteful. I use meds like terbutaline once a year, but have to buy 25 vials of it. I then throw it all the rest away.
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We have 3rd world boxes for stuff like that for folks that do medical missions. Prolly a bunch of hoops to jump through for pharmacy but it might be worth looking into...won't solve your problem but at least there'd be less moral injury....
 
E tank said:
We have 3rd world boxes for stuff like that for folks that do medical missions. Prolly a bunch of hoops to jump through for pharmacy but it might be worth looking into...won't solve your problem but at least there'd be less moral injury....
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And we appreciate the Third World boxes. Used up a few Rx meds donated down South.
 
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