Vizient, Inc.’s sourcing and supply chain expert Cathy Denning testified before the United States Senate Committee on Finance during the second part of its hearing, “Protecting the Reliability of the U.S. Medical Supply Chain During the COVID-19 Pandemic” on July 30, states a Vizient press release.
Denning, RN, MSN, group senior vice president of sourcing operations, analytics and center of excellence at Vizient was asked to offer the committee insights into the critical issue of counterfeit personal protective equipment (PPE). The so-called “grey market” exploits healthcare providers, the patients they serve, and the government with exorbitantly priced medical supplies or false, and often harmful, claims of medical supply availability when in fact, no such legitimate supplies exist.
“We appreciate the opportunity to share Vizient’s experiences, as well as examples from our member hospitals, regarding the scope and nature of counterfeit PPE products that are proliferating in our industry, and recommended actions to begin to improve the resiliency of the supply chain,” said Denning. “We believe that, working together, we can all help health care providers and their patients get through this crisis.”