AMA letters: Take immediate steps to address PPE shortage

CHICAGO – In letters to Vice President Pence and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Medical Association (AMA) urged immediate action to address ongoing shortages and access issues related to personal protective equipment (PPE) in ambulatory settings. In the letter to the vice president, the AMA asked the administration to activate the Defense Production Act as a matter of patient safety. Physicians are telling the AMA the biggest challenge to reopening their practices is the ongoing shortages of PPE, especially N95 masks and gowns.

The AMA said in its letter to Pence: “As the AMA continues to communicate with physicians during the pandemic, they tell us the biggest challenge to reopening their practices is the ongoing shortages of PPE, especially N95 masks and gowns. Previously, physicians in ambulatory settings have not needed substantial PPE. Consequently, physicians in ambulatory settings do not have existing relationships with vendors or ability to source these critical items. Furthermore, physician offices do not need the same quantity of PPE that large institutions do. As a result, even when physicians find a vendor with available supply, they end up losing to larger institutions with more bargaining power and placing more substantial orders. PPE is needed for all types of health care sites, including ambulatory settings. We need to ensure the safety of patients, physicians and their staff.”