Did you know that over 1 million deaths have been reported since 2016 as a result of malfunctioning medical devices? If you’re someone in charge of purchasing equipment for a hospital or medical business, that’s a scary number.
Luckily, there’s something you can do that might prevent that. That’s buying high-quality, safe equipment from esteemed medical equipment suppliers.
At Outpatient Supply, that is our specialty. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of buying quality medical instruments and where to get them.
Understanding What Medical Equipment Suppliers Are
Before you consider ordering medical equipment from any supplier, first you must know what medical equipment suppliers can, and cannot, do for you. The good thing is, medical equipment suppliers are exactly what they sound like.
They’re companies that supply medical facilities and establishments such as hospitals, emergency rooms, and doctor’s offices with medical equipment. The equipment supplied usually depends on the company that they’ve been purchased from.
Some suppliers can deliver anything ranging from surgical equipment to the tools necessary for prosthetic limb replacements. Some medical equipment suppliers may even supply dental equipment and pharmaceuticals.
On the opposite end, most medical equipment suppliers are not designated, doctors or physicians. Medical advice should not be asked from them, nor should they be treated as a replacement for a trip to the emergency room.
Understandably, this can be quite confusing for a first-time, (or even established) buyer. So for this reason, we’ve put together a few things you should keep in mind before deciding where to purchase your medical equipment.
Establish What Medical Equipment You Need
The first thing you should be asking yourself is “What exact equipment do I need?” If you’re in charge of purchasing equipment for your hospital or medical business, we recommend making a list. Samples of medical equipment to order are wheelchairs, crutches, video laryngoscopes, and EKGs.
Making a list helps you remember all the medical instruments you’ll need so that you can narrow down which supplier to order from. Remember that not all medical equipment suppliers carry the instruments you’re looking for. Establishing what you need prior instead of waiting until your purchase will save you both time and stress.
Additionally, you might want to consider items that your hospital or medical business might need. Some items that might make your list at the last minute include toiletries, shower chairs, high-calorie formulas, and bedding.
Research the Best Medical Equipment Suppliers in your Area
Once you’ve made a list, you are now ready to search for where to buy medical equipment. We suggest taking a look at the best medical equipment supplies near you. The reason for this is that it allows you to buy locally so that delivery time is reduced.
You may even be able to pick up the equipment if the location is close enough, so proximity is just a bonus. Take note of the highest-rated medical equipment suppliers in your area.
Be sure to write down any key information you find in your search such as price, discounts, reviews from others, and certification that the supplier has. We’ll use these later.
Be sure to also learn more about the suppliers themselves. Some suppliers only choose to distribute equipment to small businesses. This is most likely because they simply don’t have the amount of equipment to supply a big business such as a hospital.
If anything, talk to their customer support and read their about sections to see if your purchase qualifies.
Weigh Your Options
After you’ve done some research, it’s time to weigh the options.
Medical equipment absolutely must be of the highest quality as it might be the determining factor in your patient’s health or even their life. Make sure that the supplier that you are purchasing from attends to your needs. You can do this buying weighing the options between different suppliers and their competitors.
The utmost thing to consider lies within the realm of quality and safety. The quality of the medical supplier’s equipment must be the highest possible. One way to check this is to compare prices and reviews.
Though you might want the best bang for your buck, medical equipment is just one of those things that might need to be splurged on. Buying cheap equipment might be better on your wallet at the time, but down the line, it can pose some issues.
Compare which suppliers have the most reasonable price for the highest quality equipment. Then you can take a look at the next part, which is safety.
Alongside quality, safety needs to be ensured to protect the lives of your patients. The best thing you can do here is to check whether the supplier you’re buying from is reputable and registered. Reputable just means they have a good record of delivering high-quality, safe products to other customers.
In terms of registration, most states require the supplier to be certified to distribute medical equipment. Check with local laws. If you buy from an unlicensed distributor, chances are it’s either a scam or unsafe equipment.
Additional Items to Consider
Quality and safety are two of the most important things to consider when buying medical equipment. Here are some additional ones you might want to look into.
- Do they offer guides on how to use/install the equipment?
- What is the cost of the equipment?
- Do they accept insurance? Some items such as breast pumps might actually be covered by the patient’s insurance
- Do they have a good website?
- How long will it take for them to deliver?
- Also, take their customer service into consideration
If you use your best intuition when buying medical equipment and follow these steps, you should be more than fine. You can learn more about what to take into consideration here.
Ordering Your Medical Equipment
At OutPatient Supply, we strive to deliver you only the highest quality and affordable medical equipment on the market. We deliver all across the United States but have a record of being a top distributor to over 50 countries outside of the U.S. as well.
We have a wide variety of medical equipment and are one of the top-rated medical equipment suppliers in the nation. Our easy-to-access customer support team will be sure to answer any questions you may have about our equipment.
So if you’re ready to purchase high-quality medical equipment, go ahead and take a look at our catalog.