National Survey Reveals a Pharmacy Supply Chain Visibility Crisis

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Jan 29, 2026, 12:00 ET

Only 1 in 5 healthcare leaders have real-time visibility across care settings, with 80% still using delayed, partial or manual tracking

MONTREAL, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A national survey from Tecsys Inc. (TSX: TCS), an industry-leading supply chain management company, reveals a serious visibility crisis in health system pharmacy supply chains. Most health systems report operating without a real-time view of demand, inventory and emerging risk, and are forced to react to costly disruptions after they occur instead of preventing them before they escalate.

The survey, which included responses from US-based hospital executives, pharmacy and supply chain leaders, shows that limited visibility across care settings remains widespread, even as drug shortages, cost volatility and operational pressure continue to intensify.

Key survey findings include:

Visibility is the defining constraint: Only 20% of healthcare leaders report full, real-time visibility across inventory and care settings.
Preparedness breaks down under pressure: Seventy-seven percent of leaders say that they are not fully prepared for major disruptions.
Drug shortages dominate disruption: Four in five (79%) say drug shortages have caused the most disruption to pharmacy operations over the past 12-24 months; demand spikes (63%) and raw material shortages (63%) are cited as the top factors.
Data readiness – not a lack of ambition – may be slowing AI adoption: Only 15% have fully deployed AI/ML for demand forecasting, inventory optimization, drug shortages or risk prediction.
Strategic value is misaligned: Nearly half (48%) of pharmacy and supply chain leaders see their function as strategic, but only 15% of hospital executives agree.

"The survey findings reflect what we see every day in hospital network pharmacies: 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 visibility gap is a limiting factor not just for pharmacies, but for health systems overall. When organizations integrate pharmacy data and connect it to enterprise decision-making, pharmacy can move beyond a support function and serve as a strategic driver.

"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."

For more findings and insights, The Visibility Crisis in Health System Pharmacies report is available for download https://infohub.tecsys.com/e-book/pharmacy-survey-report-2026.

Methodology: The nationally representative survey of health system executives, pharmacy and supply chain leaders was conducted online in October 2025. All 201 respondents worked within a health system with at least $1 billion in annual revenue.

About Tecsys

Tecsys is trusted by mission-critical organizations in healthcare and distribution to build resilient, efficient and secure supply chains. A global provider of cloud-based, AI-driven software with deep domain expertise, Tecsys delivers real-time operational visibility and execution across critical workflows when performance and reliability matter most. Tecsys is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TCS). For more information, visit www.tecsys.com.

SOURCE Tecsys Inc.