CQRC warns of possible access issues
By HME News Staff
Updated 8:57 AM CDT, Fri March 18, 2022
WASHINGTON – Patient access to in-home respiratory care may be negatively impacted if a shortage in semiconductor chips is not addressed, warns the Council for Council for Quality Respiratory Care.
In a March 15 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, CQRC and nine other respiratory care stakeholders urge the administration to use its authority to help address the shortage of semiconductor chips used in home respiratory care equipment.
“We ask that the departments prioritize allocating chips to manufacturers of home respiratory devices and ensure that medical device manufacturers receive sufficient chips to meet the medical needs of patients who rely on these devices,” the letter states. “The administration has rightly prioritized expanding access to home medical treatments, but the chip shortage places this expansion at risk.”
In addition to CQRC, the letter was also signed by AAHomecare, Alpha 1 Foundation, American Association for Respiratory Care, COPD Foundation, Dorney-Koppel Foundation, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, Respiratory Health Association, U.S. COPD Coalition and VGM & Associates.
Comments