Transportation Delays Persist in Healthcare Supply Chain
Alexandria, VA, March 11, 2022 – The latest research from the Health Industry Distributors Association has found persistent delays in the healthcare supply chain.
“This issue isn’t going away,” said HIDA President and CEO Matthew J. Rowan. “Despite the end of the holiday shopping season, transportation delays persist for critical medical supplies. The healthcare supply chain should remain top of mind for policymakers.”
- Despite a modest drop in delay times since December 2021 (from 37 to 27 days), transportation times are still 440% longer than they were before the pandemic
- The volume of medical supply containers awaiting delivery has increased 13% in the last three months. Approximately 9,000 to 14,000 containers remain delayed.
- As West Coast ports remain congested, the volume of medical supply containers at East Coast ports has skyrocketed. The ports of New York (+124%) and Charleston (+84%) seeing the greatest increase in container volume of medical supplies.
- When surveyed about the trend in transportation delays, 61% of medical distributors have seen no appreciable improvement, while 21% say delays have worsened.
View HIDA’s “Transportation Delays Persist in Healthcare Supply Chain” infographic.
About HIDA
The Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) represents the country’s medical product distributors – the nation’s essential link between manufacturers and patient caregivers. HIDA members offer critical services increasing the efficiency of U.S. healthcare providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, home care, and physician practices. For more information, visit HIDA.org.