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How to buy EMS medical equipment
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By Greg Friese
 | Interested in Medical Equipment? Get pricing, product info & discounts from top companies. | ||||||||||||||
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Medical products are the broad range of supplies EMS professionals use to assess, treat, and transport patients. In a single patient encounter, you might use assessment tools like a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff, treatment products like oxygen delivery devices, and transportation tools like backboards, stair chairs, or cots.
When purchasing medical products, consider these things:
1. Preferred pricing or discounting for buying as many supplies as possible from a single vendor. Some vendors carry everything from airway tools to zip-up boots. A single vendor may make purchase orders, invoicing, and payment easier and save your organization time and money.
2. Availability of bulk purchasing discounts. Is the money saved for a bulk purchase enough to offset the cost of storage and potential risk of out dates?
3. Membership or association discounts. Some regional, state, and national EMS industry associations have negotiated purchasing agreements for their members with medical product suppliers. The Wisconsin EMS Association Group Buying Program is a good example.
4. Talk to current customers of any medical products vendor. You can never go wrong by asking for a reference, especially if you are consolidating ordering to a primary vendor for all medical products. Ask about the:
a. Ease of making orders
b. Reliability of delivery
c. Quality of customer service
d. Responsiveness to surge in demand
e. Correction of misorders
Finally, attend industry events like EMS Expo and EMS Today as well as regional trade shows. Visit with medical products vendors to learn about current and upcoming products. Many vendors provide hands-on training demonstrations to help ensure that you are using medical products as effectively as possible for patient assessment, treatment, and transport.
Any other suggestions for purchasing medical products? What types of medical products brands have worked well for your service? Anything we missed in the list above? Leave a comment below or email products@ems1.com with your feedback.
