Philadelphia, PA (July 20, 2020) – The American College of Physicians (ACP) and Project N95 have partnered to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for internal medicine physicians, filling an urgent need for frontline ACP member physicians during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic ACP has been vigorously advocating for the need for adequate PPE, calling on suppliers and the federal government to ensure the availability of essential PPE to protect frontline physicians. Many individual physicians, especially those outside of hospitals, have been closed out of ordering PPE through distributors at reasonable prices and quantities.
ACP worked with Project N95, a national, not-for-profit COVID-19 critical equipment clearinghouse, on a pilot aggregated group purchase program designed to achieve market-rate prices at smaller minimum order quantities. The program allowed ACP members to order in smaller quantities, down to a single 20-count box of N95 respirators and 15-count bag of disposable isolation gowns.
The response to the pilot program has been immediate and at a higher volume than anticipated. The initial anticipated order size for the pilot program was 10,000 units of N95 respirators and 5,000 isolation gowns. Since launching the program, 2,267 orders were placed, connecting physicians with 145,400 N95 masks and 70,440 isolation gowns. That represents more than 55,800 frontline workers protected across all 50 states including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
“We know that our members have an ongoing and vital need to secure adequate PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic and that it remains especially challenging for smaller practices, including in my own practice,” said Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, MACP, President, ACP. “The response to this pilot program indicates the scope of need among our physician members, and we are pleased to be able to help ensure their safety and protection in providing patient care during this pandemic.”
“About 67.4% of the orders we’ve processed for surgical N95 respirators have been for just one or two 20-count boxes,” said Andrew Stroup, Executive Director of Project N95. “While the market usually requires organizations to purchase PPE in the hundreds if not thousands of units, our pilot program has created a way for smaller practices to purchase the exact amount of equipment needed at competitive market prices. By doing so, we’re promoting equitable distribution of supplies and helping these organizations support their communities — many of which consist of underserved populations.”
ACP will continue its efforts to make sure frontline member physicians have the essential PPE they need while advocating for adequate supplies moving forward as healthcare workers maintain the mission of treating COVID-19 patients. Project N95 will continue its mission to deliver critical equipment to frontline workers as quickly as possible.
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The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Project N95 is the National Clearinghouse for critical personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies. As the leading rapid response nonprofit organization (501c3 status pending) created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Project N95 helps healthcare providers and frontline workers source PPE from vetted suppliers while driving transparency in the market by procurement best practices. Visit www.projectn95.org.
ACP Media Contact: Andrew Hachadorian, (215) 351-2514, AHachadorian@acponline.org
Project N95 Contact: Mickey Hyun, mickey@projectn95.org