Only 20% of health system pharmacies have full, real-time visibility across their care settings. The other 80% are still relying on delayed reports, partial data, or manual tracking methods, according to a new national survey from Tecsys. The gap is leaving many healthcare supply chains exposed and forcing pharmacy teams to make reactive decisions amid rising shortages and disruptions.
The findings come from Tecsys’ latest report, The Visibility Crisis in Health System Pharmacies, which surveyed U.S. healthcare executives and pharmacy leaders. Despite years of investment in automation, analytics, and specialized pharmacy systems, most organizations still lack a clear, real-time view of medication demand and inventory across hospitals, satellite pharmacies, and care units.
That lack of visibility has real consequences on the ground. Inventory can sit unused in one location while another unit scrambles to place rush orders for the same medication. Shortages are often discovered only after clinicians attempt to administer a drug, forcing last-minute substitutions or delays in care.
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“Without real-time supply chain visibility, teams are forced to make critical decisions with incomplete information,” said Jeff Wagner, Vice President of Pharmacy, Respiratory Care and ECMO Services at Texas Children’s Hospital. “Improving transparency across inventory, suppliers, and sites isn’t just an operational upgrade; it’s essential to maintaining continuity of care for patients.”
The report also highlights a growing preparedness gap. While many leaders say their organizations are ready to manage major disruptions, far fewer feel confident when pressure hits. Tecsys found that most pharmacies are still piecing together data from disconnected systems, spreadsheets, and manual reconciliations, which slows decision-making and hides risk until it is too late.
Real-time visibility, in practical terms, means knowing where medications are, how quickly they are being used, and where demand is shifting, all as it happens. Without that insight, pharmacy teams are left responding to shortages as they escalate, rather than preventing them.
“It’s clear from the findings that we’re at a critical inflection point in pharmacy operations,” said Dr. Valerie Bandy, Vice President of Pharmacy Solutions at Tecsys. “Pharmacy teams are expected to manage shortages and control costs while supporting care delivery, but without end-to-end visibility, they’re forced into reactive decision-making that ultimately affects patient care.”
