House opens investigation of pandemic ventilator purchases overseen by White House

[Wicked Blue]

Washington Post
By Reed Albergotti and Aaron Gregg
Jan. 27, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EST

A House subcommittee is investigating a government deal to buy $70 million worth of ventilators for the coronavirus pandemic response that a Washington Post investigation found were inadequate for treating most covid-19 patients.

Last spring, as part of its effort to increase the number of ventilators amid the crisis, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Logistics Agency purchased 11,200 AutoMedx SAVe II+ ventilators from Combat Medical Systems, which distributes the devices. But the ventilators were inadequate for treating covid-19 patients and remain in warehouses, according to Stephanie Bialek, a spokeswoman for the Strategic National Stockpile.

“AutoMedx appears to be the beneficiary of a potentially tainted procurement process,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the chairman of the House subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, which is in charge of the investigation, wrote in letters sent to the companies on Wednesday.

The Post previously reported that Adrian Urias, AutoMedx’s co-founder and current shareholder, advised the Trump administration’s covid-19 task force on ventilator purchases. In March, when the government posted the minimum specifications that ventilator manufacturers had to meet to sell devices for the pandemic response, those specifications were nearly identical to a spec sheet listed on AutoMedx’s website at the time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/27/automedx-combat-medical-ventilator-investigation-contracts/

[lagomorph777]

1. Now there's a huge shortage of home oxygen concentrators.

Looks like the latest COVID surge is causing hoarding and panic buying.

[soothsayer]

2. Good, good. Look into all this grift

[Wicked Blue]

5. They might want to question Jared

just in case, you know

[underpants]

3. The way he talked up ventilators I knew something was up

I read much later on - after there appeared to be a shortage- that ventilation was a much worse treatment than assisted oxygen. I also learned that we shipped a bunch to Moscow who are close to the dark ages medically.

Now this. Typical MO for Trump - brags on a loss and tries to craft the discussion around what he thinks is a winner for him. Also typical MO, he fails badly.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. Good a place to start as any, expose it all on public hearings.