It is generally assumed that a practice shouldn’t spend more than 6% of their annual expenditure on dental supplies, according to GPSI Dental. We all start out with good intentions to stick to this figure, and we may stay below 6% for many years, then we take our eye off the ball and if you don’t shop around for the best deals, it is only a matter of time before the percentage rises into double figures. Such an increase can affect the underlying success of the practice moving forward. Here are a few reasons why practices are spending too much.
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No Hoarding of Supplies
We all want to ensure that we don’t run out of the most basic of supplies. This can lead to overbuying, and there will be dentists whose cupboards are filled with supplies. There is no reason why any dentist should have many cases of gloves in their cupboards!
One Person in Charge of Purchasing Supplies
Crucial to the success of dental supply purchasing is having one person in sole charge of purchasing the supplies. If many people are ordering supplies, it can get very confusing as to who has ordered what. Over ordering can be a chronic problem if many people purchase supplies at the same time, keeping track of inventory can be an impossible task as a result. There will often be no accountability for who orders what, and this can be a dangerous precedent to set. To keep the person who is in sole charge of purchasing motivated, you may wish to offer them a bonus if they keep costs under control.
Closely Look at Supply Invoices
This is a laborious and time hungry task, but you can save a lot of money if you review your past invoices. I have been guilty in the past of looking at invoices and thinking I’ve been overcharged and I do nothing about it.
Walmart For Non-Dental Specific Products?
It can be expensive to order stationery and other non-dental specific products from dental suppliers. Do you really need to order pens through a dental supply company when they are mega cheap in big superstores? This is a great way to save money in the long run. The little savings mount up.
Use Online Dental Supplies Websites
Gone are the days of ordering through a rep who comes to your practice. They take a large slice of the pie, so you can save a lot of money by using dental supplies websites such as GPSDent.com.
