United States – Hospitals are calling on the White House to provide support to rebuild the stock of IV bags as an industry in North Carolina has had to shut down due to Hurricane Helene.
At least four hospitals have already carried out conservation measures and alerted the public about possible shortages after Baxter International shut down a manufacturing facility in Marion, North Carolina, some 35 miles from Asheville. The Marion factory provided 60 percent of the total required IV fluids to health facilities in the nation. The factory also distributes peritoneal dialysis solutions to dialysis centers, as reported by The USA Today.
Hospitals Call for Immediate Government Support
On Monday, Rick Pollack of the American Hospital Association called on President Joe Biden’s administration to act swiftly to address the problem of what he described as significant deficits in these “lifesaving and life-sustaining products.”
The trade organization that represents 47 states and nearly 5,000 hospitals and healthcare systems would like the Food and Drug Administration to say there is a shortage of IV solutions and to allow hospitals and health systems to compound sterile IV solutions in their hospital/health system pharmacies.
The hospitals have also asked the FDA to search foreign sources for sterile IV solutions and expand the shelf-life of all sterile IV and peritoneal dialysis solutions which are close to or have already passed their expiration date.
Hospitals also want the Biden administration to:
∎ Pressure manufacturers, through the usage of the Defense Production Act, work exclusively on sterile IV solutions.
∎ Call on Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to issue a Public Health Emergency that would allow Medicare and Medicaid waivers and Heath Technicians’ scope of practice to expand.
∎ Provide the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department with instructions to counterbalance if the above-mentioned disruptions lead to price manipulation.
Many different hospitals have previously indicated a threat of supply disruption.
Potential Impact on Patient Care
According to Mass General Brigham, the network of hospitals in New England, last week, it received just 40% of the usual quantity of IV fluid from Baxter.
The Florida Hospital Association said there would be shortages of IV and peritoneal dialysis solutions due to the shutdown of the Baxter facility, as reported by The USA Today.
Pollack said that strategies that have already been put in place include shortage of IV fluids in hospitals and health systems and planning patients’ access to care and services.