Based on real-time purchasing data from the OpenMarkets platform, the move of manufacturers and the government taking big steps to produce ore ventilators is critical, as there are simply no more ventilators available to be purchased across the US market.
The vast majority of health systems did not begin ramping up medical equipment purchasing until Friday, March 13 - the day after sports leagues and many schools nationwide began closing en mass. The response from health systems was immediate and forceful; equipment purchasing immediately increased nearly 10-fold, with a rather dramatic shift in the types of equipment being bought.
Open Markets looked at the top 10 categories of equipment being purchased now vs. the same time periods in 2018 and 2019:
2020
· Ventilators
· Beds
· Thermometers
· Infection Control
· Infusion Pumps
· Carts Infusion
· Ultrasounds
· Respirators
· Food Pumps
· Laryngoscopes
2018/19
· Furniture & Fixture
· Cart
· Surgical Instruments
· Electro Surgery Units
· Ultrasounds
· Pumps
· Wheelchairs
· Imaging Tables
· Microscopes (OR)
· C-Arms
Another striking fact about equipment buying behavior the past 18 days is how fast health systems are shifting their focus and evolving to the reality inside the hospitals. Anesthesia machines, oxygen concentrators and video laryngoscopes are equipment items being sought in high quantities over the past five days; for the anesthesia machines, this volume is almost exclusively from NY State as they buy machines w/ integrated ventilators.
One category not contained in this analysis, but top-of-mind for all is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). According to a 3/31 study by LEK Consulting, Health Systems are more than twice as concerned about PPE shortages as ventilator supply.
