One Year Later, No End In Sight For Supply Chain Crisis

Latest HIDA Research Finds Persistent Delays, Medical Distributors See Negative Trend

Alexandria, VA, Nov. 4, 2022 – After one year of monitoring the medical supply chain, only slight reductions in the length of shipping delays and the volume of delayed medical containers have been reported, according to survey data compiled by Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA). Over 90% of survey respondents reported the situation has stayed the same or worsened over the last three months.

“The medical supply chain is not a game of musical chairs,” said HIDA President and CEO Matthew J. Rowan. “Medical containers cannot keep shuttling from port to port seeking a faster route to providers. Congress and the Biden Administration must take urgent action to ‘fast pass’ critical medical supplies.”

Among the findings from the fourth quarter of surveying medical distributors about supply chain delays:

• No change in the estimated amount of delayed medical supplies, holding steady at 7,000 to 10,000 containers.
• Decrease of only two days in shipping delays, from 27 to 25 days over the last three months. These persistent delays remain far above pre-COVID levels.
• A sharp decrease in the share of medical products transiting the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (from 35% share of medical supplies in June to 16% in October).

View HIDA’s latest transportation infographic: “One Year Later: No End In Sight For Supply Chain Crisis.”

About HIDA

Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) represents the healthcare distribution network – the essential link between global healthcare supply manufacturers and local care providers. HIDA members operate more than 500+ distribution centers to bring critical products, supplies, and services to more than 560,000 healthcare settings across the U.S., including hospitals, long-term care, physician practices, home care, and laboratories. Visit HIDA.org.