That's a good change, distributors say, because health care firms are marketing themselves more than in the past. They often need packages that include personalized letters, outgoing envelopes, business reply devices, brochures and more. And private practices aren't the only ones in the medical industry using marketing pieces. Hospitals are marketing like crazy because they know they're competing with other hospitals. The central issue in challenging group purchasing contracts is that buying groups bring discounts, but not everybody wants to use the products they provide.
Distributors can also diversify by selling secure prescription pads.
The Indiana State Board of Pharmacy began requiring Indiana hospitals and health care centers to use secure prescription pads in 1996, and many states now have similar rules. In order to be approved as prescription pad distributors, companies had to comply with guidelines and obtain a template design form from the board to use as a layout guide. It's more efficient to keep track of a single form that contains a patient's demographic details, a list of symptoms, tests to be run, billing information and labels, which medical personnel can then affix to items such as charts, folders or vials as the patient moves through the hospital. Service A medical client's primary concern should be patient care, not keeping up with forms. Distributors say it's wise to uncover clients' problems and detail how easily you can rectify them.