US health groups ask govt to adopt supply standards

The US Health Industry Group Purchasing Association and the US Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management are asking federal officials to consider the adoption of two identification standards used in the health care supply chain.

National adoption of the standards and their integration into electronic health records and supply chain management systems would  increase patient safety while bringing efficiencies to the supply chain side, the associations wrote in a letter to David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology. "Without data standards in this area, it is virtually impossible to efficiently recall devices and other supplies and that can lead to grave injury and even death."

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