Make organized lists before purchasing medical equipment.
Regardless of whether you are buying medical equipment for your home or a medical facility, the approach is still the same. The main objective is to buy quality equipment while saving as much money and time as possible. The way to do this is to approach the objective as you would any business decision: with organization and planning. After you have organized your needs and planned your medical equipment, you can then find reputable medical supply companies that sell quality medical equipment.
Instructions
1. Plan out the area for the equipment. Take measurements of the entire area. Determine the size the equipment must be based on the available space and the number of items you need. For instance, if need to fit two hospital bed in an 11 by 17 foot room, each bed needs to be small enough to fit comfortably in the room and leave adequate space to move around.
2. Make a budget for the equipment. Write down how much money you have to spend overall on the equipment. Set aside a portion of that money for each piece of equipment that you need. This comes in handy if you have to buy different pieces of equipment from different vendors. If you budget for each piece of equipment, you can negotiate each piece separately while staying consistent on quality and not going over your budget.
3. Write down all of your medical equipment needs. List the type of equipment, the quantity of each piece of equipment, when you need the equipment, the measurements requirements and the amount you have budgeted for each item.
4. Visit three or four local medical supply stores to get a quote. Take your lists of needed equipment, along with budget and space requirements. Look through the store's inventory to find a quality piece within your budget. Ask the representative about the items you are interested in. Find out if the number of items you need are currently in stock or if they have to be ordered, and when they will be available. Make sure that the delivery date fits within the date you listed for when you needed the items. Also ask the representative for references, as you want a supplier that is reliable.
5. Get the quotes in writing; this reduces confusion later if you decide to purchase from a particular vendor. Check the written quotes to see if they include the price of each item, shipping costs, sales tax, delivery costs and times, included accessories for each item, warranty terms and the expiration date for the quoted price. Also talk about payment terms and deposit amounts if you are setting up a payment plan instead of paying for the items upfront.
6. Compare all of your quotes. Look at overall costs for all of the equipment by vendor and then each individual item. See if it is beneficial to purchase all of the equipment from one vendor or to buy each individual item from different vendors. Consider any special pricing that was quoted for purchasing multiple items from the same vendor; these prices will go up if you decide to break up the order. It is best to buy from one vendor to save time and sometimes money, but there are times when you will have to buy from several vendors to get the best products.
7. Make your purchase before the expiration date for the quote. Call the salesperson who gave you the quote and schedule a time to come in and finalize the purchase. Have the salesperson list the delivery date on the final payment receipt or on the pro forma invoice.
