The federal government and many private businesses have learned some valuable lessons over the past several years. To keep up with the changing times and better respond to potential disruptions, organizations are making investments in modernization in addition to boosting initiatives for the future.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many healthcare organizations, despite an urgency to adapt quickly, began running out of essential items like masks, gloves, gowns, and even medications. These shortages, combined with rising patient volumes and other economic factors, have revealed the importance of having a well-performing healthcare supply chain. Here are some of the most pervasive healthcare supply chain challenges and strategies businesses are using to solve them.

If you’ve ever watched a school of fish move through the water, you know that it’s a marvel of nature. Scientists have noticed this as well and set up experiments using something called synthetic microswimmers. What they discovered was that material can be directed through a fluid fairly rapidly when the swimmers work together. This has some interesting implications for healthcare and a variety of other applications.

A 2012 Report by the Institute of Medicine estimated that the US Healthcare system wastes approximately $750 BILLION per year. While the biggest part of that is “Unnecessary services,” other factors such as “Fraud,” “Inefficient Care Delivery” and “Excess Administrative Costs” are all equally alarming regarding the potential harm they could do to both individual patients and trust in the systems we rely on as well.

These days, mobile devices seem to be everywhere. Not only are they a driving force in consumer electronics, but there are plenty of businesses that benefit from having high tech solutions on hand to deal with day-to-day operations. The healthcare industry is no different; it’s essential that care providers can communicate effectively and efficiently with each other, as well as have ready access to patient data at all times.