Psst! Tips to Help Rein in Service Costs

Has your department addressed the need for cost reduction in order to provide your facility with the flexibility it needs to operate efficiently? Are you on track to meet your budget as well as your requirements for supplies and repair items for 2002? Here are three tips that will help save your department countless purchasing dollars while allowing your facility to have adequate medical supplies and equipment on hand for quality patient care.

Just as an annual physical helps you and your doctor assess your current health and chart a course for improved physical well-being, an annual budget physical helps departments take stock of their current financial health and investigate ways they can reduce inventory, save dollars, and be able to obtain the parts and service they require.

Tip #1
Obtain more ‘bang for your buck’ by reducing the number of vendors who deal with your facility.

By using a select number of vendors specializing in the medical field, you can obtain more product choices, including substitutes or less-costly alternatives. These cost-saving alternatives still can provide competitive quality, resulting in bottom-line savings to meet every budget contingency.

When your facility belongs to a group purchasing organization it also saves departmental dollars. Use those contracts, but also refer to those vendors for assistance with products not under contract. Vendors who specialize in medical products may also be able to provide needed items as a backup to the primary contract supplier.

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