1. Researched GPOs and vendors. It is advantageous to make note of which companies tend to offer the best pricing and which ones don’t. Through time spent researching prices and vendors, Ms. Phillips is now able to avoid certain vendors from the start.
“I am constantly reviewing pricing,” Ms. Phillips says. “I know which vendors have the lower pricing or which ones are notoriously known to be more expensive.”
2. Ordered inventory from a manageable number of companies. Finding the best prices on every individual item may not be the best method in cutting costs. Ms. Phillips orders a majority of the facility’s supplies from a single company.
“You may want to order from Company A because they have the better price on surgical gowns and then order from Company B because their alcohol swabs are cheaper, but if you start ordering from all these different companies you have to think of the time and labor spent managing all those contracts, like time spent talking on the phone to all those companies and shipping and handling,” Ms. Phillips says. “Finding the best pricing on individual items will not save money in the long run.”
3. Used credit card to accumulate awards. Southgate has started using a credit card to pay for supply orders because the center is able to accumulate points in exchange for rewards each time they use the credit card.
“We earn those points through the bank to get thing such as iPods and docking stations, for our physicians and staff because they like listening to music, and a mini-fridge,” Ms. Phillips says. “By paying our supply bills by credit card, we are able to save money by buying things through these points. We immediately pay off the credit card with our checking account because you don’t want to fall into the trap of paying interest. We really try hard to be creative in this economy.”
Learn more about Southgate Surgery Center.
