Hospitals are facing ever-increasing pressure to evaluate and cut costs. This isn’t surprising. Medical supplies represent as much as 30 percent of an average hospital’s total operating expenses. Regulatory and economic changes, and initiatives such as value-based purchasing, are also pushing hospitals to bring down their expenses.

Often, this pressure to cut costs results in a one-size-fits-all procurement strategy, even though physicians are requiring more highly customized medical supplies in their pursuit of improved patient outcomes. These physician-preferred items can be expensive and hard to get, especially when an appropriate purchasing strategy isn’t in place.

Meanwhile, suppliers are trying to reduce their overhead, too. They’re just as worried about changes in healthcare as hospitals are.

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