Purchasing Medical Supplies and Services

Depending on the nature of your specialty, a large amount of supplies may be consumed by your medical practice. These items range from tongue depressors and table paper, to medications such as lidocaine and Penicillin for IM injection. Then there are the special purchases such as the flu vaccine, tetanus shots and the myriad of immunizations that pediatricians and family practitioners need to administer on a regular basis.. Unless you have a “paperless office”, many common office supplies are consumed in large quantities such as copy paper and pens, as well as soap and tissue paper for the office bathrooms and exam rooms that seem to constantly need replacement. These items can often be bought in bulk at discount warehouses or office supply stores for a significant savings.

Private practices need all the services any business needs such as local and long distance phone (and pager) service, regular office cleaning and maintenance, and possibly lawn care in the warm months and snow plowing of the parking lot during the winter. Plus there are services unique to medical practice including medical waste removal, answering service, and possibly transcription support. Computer support by experts in healthcare information technology is also critical, and will become a bigger need soon as more practices convert to electronic medical records.

Equipment purchases usually get much more consideration before the practice commits, but the small recurring charges can often accrue to amounts well above the cost of any particular piece of equipment in your office. Managing purchasing, negotiating for discounts, and always shopping for bargains will help your cashflow and improve your bottom line at the end of the year.

This quick list of services and supplies needed by medical practices is just an overview. Like all medical office protocols and procedures, purchasing also needs to have checks and balances within your practice. A good office manager should handle these purchases for you, and you need to decide at what dollar amount you need to co-sign the checks. If you can pay for these recurring costs with a credit or charge card that rewards points, perhaps getting a trip to a nice resort once a year with those points will help ease the pain of paying for all those medical office supplies!