Suggestions for purchasing medical equipment

BeckersASC Review recently provided tips to consider when purchasing ophthalmic surgical instruments.

The surgical equipment industry has undergone significant changes in the past five years, Beckers stated. Some changes, such as greater instrument specialization, are related to the products themselves, while other changes, like wider adoption of efficient online ordering, are related to the purchasing process. Despite these changes, the basics remain the same. Hospitals need to procure high-quality instruments that will not compromise patient safety.

The first thing to consider, the source suggested, is up-front versus long-term savings. Hospitals might purchase a cheaper product initially, but end up with faulty equipment, forcing the organization to spend twice as much to replace the equipment.

Also, if a price is too good to be true, it probably is, the source cautioned. Low-priced surgical instruments are often of poor quality. When some companies offer discounted prices for their equipment, it could also indicate that child labor was used in the manufacturing process. To determine whether a price is reasonable, Becker's suggested looking into the cost of raw materials needed to manufacture the instrument.

In addition to the points raised by Becker's, those responsible for hospital purchases might look at a recent Healthcare IT News article that detailed how a Texas hospital streamlined its supply chain. That article stressed the importance of capturing data about utilization to cut down on unnecessary orders.