Coronavirus: ACP partners with Project N95 to provide PPE

The American College of Physicians (ACP) and Project N95 are partnering to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for internal medicine physicians during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

According to a news release, ACP has been advocating for the need for adequate PPE by calling on suppliers and the federal government to ensure the availability of this essential equipment as many individual physicians, especially those outside of a hospital system, have been blocked out of being able to order PPE at reasonable prices and quantities.

The ACP and Project N95 worked together on a pilot aggregated group purchase program designed to get market-rate prices at smaller minimum order quantities. It allowed ACP members to order in smaller quantities, the release says.

The pilot program has garnered an immediate response at a higher volume than anticipated as the initial anticipated order size for the program was 10,000 units of N95 respirators and 5,000 isolation gowns while the program has connected 55,800 physicians across all 50 states with 145,400 N95 masks and 70,440 isolation gowns, the release says.

“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,” Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, MACP, president of ACP, says in the release. “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,” Andrew Stroup, executive director of Project N95, says in the release. “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.”