title: Ready for supply inflation?
abstract: Hurricane Katrina was expected to provoke major hikes in the prices that hospitals pay for supplies and commodities. But other forces--global demand for raw materials and for access to shipping, in particular--are having an even bigger impact on everything from heating oil to synthetic gloves. Hospitals are using old strategies and creating new ones to try to manage risk and blunt the effect of this inflationary spiral.
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Larkin
mesh_terms: D032982:Contracts; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D005648:Fuel Oils / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000639:trends*; D007250:Inflation, Economic / Q000639:trends*; D011682:Purchasing, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D012308:Risk Management; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D005648:Fuel Oils