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S U P P L Y
C H A I N
M A N A G E M E N T
linen supply invoices are notoriously hard to read, due to confusing codes and abbreviations. A quick call to the linen vendor will help translate the hieroglyphics into plain English.
It's worth the time to get to know what each line item represents and exactly what you're being billed for. In many cases, the extra
charges are entirely valid under your contract, so you may have to sit down and renegotiate the contract.
Example of savings: A surgery center saved more than 37% ($26,000 per year) in linen costs by negotiating a new contract.
Disregarding new technology
Surgical vendors are always coming up with better, faster ways to do things. Such opportunities exist all over the place, but many surgery centers have an incredible lack of curiosity about them. Maybe it's because trying something new involves having to wrestle with physician and staff pushback and possible readjustments in work protocols, but those are poor excuses, considering the savings you are passing up. Disregarding new technology comes with a hefty price tag.
To stay on the cutting edge, always be on the lookout for new equipment and supplies that provide more efficient delivery of care, while still meeting your best practices. You can make sure you buy the right technology by having your physicians and staff members test several
models beforehand. In many cases, companies will send a rep to your facility to demonstrate the product.
Example of savings: An anesthesia group that adopted new patient monitoring technology eliminated the need for disposable EKG pads.
This saved the group 83% in the first year ($18,000) and 100% per year ($21,000) after that.
