Things to Consider When Buying Surgical Instruments

How substantial that percentage becomes will impact heavily on your profits. So it's important to bring the same surgical precision to your instrument purchasing as you do to your profession. Here are a few tips to help you do just that. 

Cut costs, not corners

Most surgical instruments – scissors, needle holders and the like - need to be of a high standard. There are, however, items you can safely purchase at the lower end of the cost spectrum. Compromises can safely be made with such things as dressings, handheld retractors, towel clips, sponge forceps and tissue forceps without compromising quality of care, yet generating significant savings over the course of a year.

Focus on singles, not sets

There are some great surgical sets out there at very good prices. But they can lead to unused surgical inventory if you buy the wrong one. If you're going to buy a surgical set, make sure all the items are genuinely useful and your judgement hasn't been clouded by discounts. Chances are you'll end up with items you don't need and you'll pay more overall. Only buy instruments you actually use and seek out the best price for those.    

Shop online

With such a vast array of surgical instruments on the market at an equally vast array of prices, it's important to shop around and compare like with like. That's not easy when your first priority is your day-to-day operations. Shopping online allows you to do direct comparisons between suppliers and surgical instruments quickly and easily. Where high quality is essential, you'll be able to find the products to match and make a fast decision based on price and support. Where cost is the driving factor you can quickly surf your way to the best price.

Build relationships

Even if you choose to do the bulk of your future purchasing online, strong relationships with preferred suppliers are still essential to an easy, ongoing purchase process for standard lines. The more suppliers know about your needs and price points, the less time you'll have to devote to straightforward repeat orders.