February 2023 – The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
Many people – especially leaders outside the supply chain department – think of a stockpile as a static, set-aside store of supplies that can only be used in a crisis. But this thinking can lead to a vicious cycle of decision-making. The stockpile sits untouched and unused, waiting for the next crisis, while product expires and becomes discarded, and the stockpile shrinks. The organization’s leadership begins to question the value of keeping the stockpile replenished, leaving the organization underprepared for the next crisis.
In contrast to a static stockpile, a living stockpile is in continuous motion. Stockpile managers actively identify the most critical products and set up procedures to ensure that these products are regularly replenished. They closely monitor inventory levels to keep them ahead of usage trends as the incidence of pandemic cases rises and falls. Managers of a living stockpile determine the best location for storage of additional inventory, whether it be on-site or off-site.
Two new tools can aid supply chain professionals in managing stockpiles.
- HIDA’s new Pandemic Stockpile Guide provides a starting point for thinking about what to include and how to manage the reserves.
- The Disaster Available Supplies in Hospitals (DASH) Tool, from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE), helps providers estimate the reserve levels needed. HIDA was proud to collaborate with ASPR TRACIE on the development of this tool.
The DASH Tool is comprised of four modules – pharmacy, burn, trauma, and personal protective equipment. Users enter information about their hospital and receive recommendations on amounts of specific supplies needed to provide acute care immediately following a disaster. DASH recommends average par levels for specific supplies that acute care hospitals may need to have on hand to respond to a disaster in their community until resupplied. Recommendations are based on user inputs about the size of the hospital, risks in the community, regional role/designation of the hospital, and other factors. DASH can help hospital emergency planners and supply chain staff estimate supplies that may need to be immediately available during various mass casualty incidents and infectious disease emergencies based on hospital characteristics
The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic have made preparedness a top priority for healthcare leaders across the end-to-end supply chain. Thanks to these new resources, providers can have the tools they need to manage the sudden onset of a pandemic or other crisis.