Innovative Health Becomes First Supplier to Fully Engage with New Healthcare Supply Chain Resilience Standards

The specialty cardiology reprocessor is helping to build a collaborative and resilient healthcare supply chain as a member of the Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 13, 2022 – Innovative Health, LLC, a specialty cardiology reprocessor, has become the first supplier to be fully engaged with the standards of the Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative, a non-profit healthcare supply chain trade association founded by providers and their trading partners to tackle resiliency issues for continuity of patient care. In addition to Innovative Health, HIRC’s supplier membership includes nearly 80 leading medical supply providers, suppliers, and industry partners. 

“The healthcare system’s serious vulnerabilities to supply chain disruption were laid bare by the ravages of the pandemic, and it’s imperative that our industry come together to address these challenges so hospitals are never again forced to compromise on patient care the way they were when COVID-19 struck,” said Innovative Health CEO Rick Ferreira. “As a champion of best practices in healthcare supply chain resiliency, HIRC’s work is going to be absolutely vital to forging a new, more-sustainable future for hospitals and the healthcare system at large.”  

In terms of fostering resiliency, circular economy solutions are becoming a hot topic in U.S. healthcare, as they have in most other developed countries. One such circular healthcare solution has existed for decades and allowed hospitals to reduce costs, reduce waste, reduce carbon emissions, and build resilience into the supply chain: single-use device reprocessing. Not only is this a proven, regulated solution, but it also allows hospitals to reduce costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, while reducing carbon emissions by thousands of pounds and allowing access to equivalent substitutes in the event of supply chain disruption.

As a provider-driven association, the growing influence of the HIRC will make it imperative for suppliers to adopt new standards and practices in supply chain transparency and resiliency. 

“We are thankful for Innovative Health's willingness to engage fully in the HIRC resiliency standards,” said HIRC Executive Director Jesse Schafer. “Innovative Health recognizes the value of increased transparency and partnership in building supply chain optimization and reliability. Innovative Health is a valued ally and advocate of supply chain resiliency via their thought leadership and operating model. 

“In my opinion, leading suppliers will recognize that resiliency is now a commercial differentiator backed by customer demand for capabilities to prevent and recover from supply disruption,” Schafer added. “In a post-pandemic world, providers are no longer willing to rely upon their upstream value chain based upon historical performance alone. Hospitals need evidence of supplier preparedness and prevention. The HIRC resiliency standards provide a one-to-many approach designed by providers, suppliers, and industry partners.” 

About Innovative Health 
Innovative Health is an advanced medical device reprocessing company that offers smarter utilization of medical devices in hospitals’ cardiology and electrophysiology programs.