Maximize Your Supplies!


One common mistake I've witnessed at every practice I've worked for is the overstocking of the supply closet. Piles of unused syringes and bandages stacked haphazardly. While it can be hard to anticipate need, a good practice approaches their supply closet like a supermarket or chain store, ordering just what is needed and at a reasonable quanity.



The first step I took in maintaining some kind of order was to put ordering supplies in the hands of one employee--Sonia. A bargain shopper whose idea of a great weekend is spent perusing flea markets for a decent working lamp under $3, she also finds a great many things cheaply and re-sells them at a mark-up on eBay as a hobby. To her, saving $1.50 on an order of tongue depressors is a big deal, and when you want to cut costs and save money, that is the attitude you want.



One of the first things Sonia did was to get online mailing lists from various suppliers. Every day she scrupulously checked specials and made note of deals for future reference. She didn't just rely on where we always did business, and she was more than willing to listen to the occasional pitch of a salesman, if it affected the bottom line.



Another thing she did was canvas the employees regarding what was and wasn't needed. She called the supplier and tried to negotiate returning overstocked items, and when they gave her a hard time, she burrowed down and negotiated, letting them know that she could just as easily get future stock elsewhere.



Sonia also organized the supply area, using tubs and bins. Putting yellow placards toward the back of a given item, she had an easily identifiable way of seeing when something was almost out.



In a fast-paced medical practice, it can be next to impossible for everyone to be conscious of waste and supplies. Putting one person in charge of it was an efficient way of organizing the situation, and it put a face on the problem, which made people more conscious of the situation. Also, once given the task-at-hand, the employee--Sonia--was very pro-active at finding solutions to problems which she could readily identify because she learned the specifics of how our supplies were used on daily and monthly basis.



Anyway, that was my solution to the burdensome issue of properly stocking supplies for my practice. As always, I'd love to hear any suggestions or insight you might have regarding it.