Washington Fly-In Focuses On Public-Private Partnerships In The Medical Supply Chain

Alexandria, VA, June 15, 2023 – More than 100 distributors, along with some of their key manufacturer partners, flew into Washington D.C. last week to ask Congressional leaders to support legislation to strengthen the healthcare supply chain.

Participants met with the offices of over 80 Senators and Representatives. Many of these meetings were with members on committees with jurisdiction over the medical supply chain, including the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

On Thursday morning, attendees heard from Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC), Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Hudson, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is leading bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA).

In Hill meetings, HIDA members stressed several key issues essential to strengthening the medical supply chain:

• PAHPA Reauthorization: HIDA urges Congress to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) prior to its September 30, 2023 expiration. PAHPA’s all-hazards approach provides an opportunity to ensure consistency across all disaster response efforts.
• Incentivize Domestic Manufacturing: HIDA recommends that PAHPA reauthorization include a package of incentives to sustain the industrial base of critical products – such as government support to reduce capital expenditures through tax incentives, committed long-term contracts of at least 5 years, and targeted policies such as innovative technology assistance to companies investing in domestic and warm base capacity.
• Public/Private Partnerships: HIDA supports the creation of a permanent Medical Product Distributor Supply Chain Advisory Group of industry and federal partners from the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to engage in regular communication and monitoring of the supply chain, flag potential disruptions, and collaborate on solutions.
• Fast Pass For Medical Supplies: In 2021 and 2022, transportation delays became a healthcare issue. HIDA research estimates that approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system. HIDA supports the creation of a “fast pass” process to expedite medical supplies throughout the nation’s transportation system.
• Preserve Supply Chain Provisions Enacted By PREVENT Pandemics Act: HIDA supports the retention and expansion of key provisions in the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats and Pandemics Act, including supply chain assessment, vendor-managed inventory, limiting sales of SNS product only to other federal agencies, and stronger FDA authority to increase penalties for selling counterfeit devices.

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.