The ongoing supply chain disruptions have made it difficult for medical officials to get their hands on much-needed equipment from wheelchairs, crutches to canes and even exam tables.

The war in Ukraine is only exacerbating those supply chain issues – which persisted over the past two years – because Russia is a major producer of nickel, chrome and steel," Cindy Juhas, chief strategy officer of CME Corp.

As a result, it's taking "two to three times longer to get things," she said. And when they come in, the cost for these products have surged due in part because of an increase in freight and raw material costs.

CME is one of America's largest equipment-focused national medical distributors in the U.S., offering more than 2 million products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.

"So far, in 2022, we're already seeing annual price increases that are up to quadruple or even five times higher than usual," Juhas said. The company reviewed 339 pricing contracts from a total of 167 top medical vendors.

Juhas said the manufacturer for one of CME's most popular wheelchairs added a 20% surcharge to cover the cost of raw materials and freight for the product in the last four months alone.

The costs for crutches have also gone up about 20%, although they have been hard to even get, she said.

Original article: https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/cme-medica-equipment-costs

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