AHA: Virtually All Hospitals Have Experienced Drug Shortages
We previously reported on drug shortages here. Now, a new report by the American Hospital Association, who surveyed 820 community hospitals: virtually of them had experienced a drugs shortage in the past six months.
99.5% of hospitals reported experiencing one or more drug shortage in the last six months and nearly half of the hospitals reported 21 or more drug shortages.
- Two-thirds had experienced a shortage of cancer drugs.
- Eighty-eight percent have been short on pain medications.
- Ninety-five percent have experienced a shortage of anesthesia drugs for a surgery.
See our previous post here.
I am afrfaid this is just the beginning of serious health care rationing.
Three-fourths of the shortages are old, generic injectable drugs. The production facilities are old and the FDA has cited firms for outdated production processes. Firms are required to rebate a percentage of the drug’s price and profitability is very low. When production facilities get old and need upgrading, there just isn’t enough profit to make it worth the cost. That is why certain drugs are hard to obtain.
I agree with Vicki.
Drug shortages. Bed shortages. Doctors shortages. The end is drawing near.
Perhaps I’m reading the graph wrong, but while most hospitals reported being effected by shortages, most reported being effected only rarely–and while even rarely is obviously not good enough when lives are on the line, it doesn’t sound like an all-out crisis to me.
I agree with Vicki. This will only get worse.