American College of Radiology urges rads to report supply chain issues
The American College of Radiology on Wednesday urged members to report any emerging supply chain issues.
ACR’s request comes amid ongoing trade wars and new tariffs placed on imaging products. The college said it wants to work with radiologists to overcome any interruptions and “preserve patient access to high-quality care.” It has established an “ACR Quick Response Team” to address such requests.
“When a supply chain issue arises, ACR must respond quickly and intelligently to members and other stakeholders about the issue,” the college said in an April 30 news update, adding that its responses should include “apparent magnitude and implications, and provide potential guidance to overcome such challenges and continue to provide the best possible care.”
Radiology-specific products potentially “at risk” could include contrast media, radiopharmaceuticals and scanner equipment. ACR also urged members to report interruptions related to general medical products such as personal protective equipment or infrastructure-related items.
In a separate document, ACR said its response team includes college executive leaders, supply chain experts, and committee chairs, among others. The PDF outlines steps the team will take after receiving reports, with different parameters based on urgency.
“This is just a general plan. Adjustments should be made in given situations as appropriate,” ACR said. “Identified individuals should be on standby for when issues arise, but if they are not immediately available, others can be utilized.”
The American College of Radiology has not taken a stance for or against the Trump administration’s tariff policies, and the documents do not use the T-word. Industry lobbying groups AdvaMed and the Radiology Business Management Association have urged the feds to carve out exemptions for medical technology, worried supply chain interruptions could harm patients. Major imaging vendors expect tariffs to have a sizable impact on the industry.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.