Square pegs,
round holes
How do specialty distributors
fit into your
prime vendor program?
Material managers know the wisdom of cutting down the number of suppliers they deal with. By doing so, they cut their logistics costs dramatically – the cost of receiving goods, reconciling invoices and cutting POs.
These days, that’s worth a lot, given the cost pressures providers are facing.
But the fact is, the prime vendor concept works best for the delivery of your commodity items, that is, those items with which your clinical users are already familiar.
But what about specialty items or new devices about which your clinical users know little about?
Although "commoditization" is a fact of marketplace life, many technologies that we take for granted today – indeed, that we call "commodities" – were yesterday’s innovations. End users had to be trained how to use them to their maximum benefit.
And that process continues today. New technologies are constantly being developed, and clinicians must be introduced to them. Can your prime vendor do that?
It’s no secret that material managers view medical products salespeople with skepticism. You’ve seen them take advantage of relationships with clinicians while counting on the support of administration.
But today’s specialty sales and marketing organizations bring with them an understanding that providers cannot accept new technology without demonstrated evidence of cost-effectiveness.
They know that successful sales entails a healthy respect for the provider’s protocols, group purchasing contracts and product evaluation procedures.
More than anything, they know that successful selling is hard work. It means being available to answer the tough questions, showing up for inservicing any time of day or night, and showing users how to reap the maximum economic and clinical benefits from new technologies.
Distribution is more than moving boxes. It’s guaranteeing that the products you buy are used correctly.
That said, no one can ignore the potential savings to be gained through efficient product movement. In fact, specialty distributors pride themselves on their logistics capabilities.
Long before other suppliers were talking about it, specialty sales and marketing organizations were providing stockless and just-in-time delivery of their products. They still do.
Most specialty distributors are EDI-ready, if that’s how you prefer to order your supplies.
And many specialty distributors – such as those belonging to IMDA – will work with you to accommodate your prime vendor programs. If you want your specialty products to arrive on the same truck as your commodities, IMDA members will ship them to your prime vendor for delivery to you.
New technologies. Training of your clinicians. Concern with your bottom line. An emphasis on logistics. That’s what you want from your distributors.
That’s what you get from IMDA members.
Chances are, you already do business with an IMDA company. We are local, independent companies that specialize in bringing to market innovative technologies, either from start-up companies or well-established players.
We carry relatively few lines, so we know each of them intimately. Our representatives are technically adept, so they can demonstrate to you and your clinicians how to maximize the benefits of the devices you purchase.
Our logistics capabilities are superb. But perhaps our greatest value to you is our knowledge of how innovative technology can help you improve patient care, cut costs and excel in today’s managed care environment.
For commodity products, call your general-line distributor. For new, cost-effective technologies, rely on specialty sales and marketing organizations. Rely on IMDA members.
Other IMDA Informational Pieces