Phase in category by category
There is no requirement to flip the entire supply closet at once. High-volume items are typically started first so the pricing difference is visible quickly. The practice can evaluate the direct path on items it already orders frequently before expanding further.
Changing every supply at once puts the whole closet at risk on a single date. Phasing by category lets the practice see the pricing difference on items it already orders, and you decide when the next category moves.
Start with volume
Gloves and other high-use SKUs show the mechanism fastest. Specifications are easy to compare. Order frequency makes the pricing difference apparent in a short period.
Then expand
The rest of the formulary follows as the practice is ready. Mapping identifies where direct equivalents exist. The practice decides the pace.
Who decides the order
The practice sets the order and the pace. Mapping shows where direct equivalents exist in each category, and the practice chooses which category moves next and when. Some practices may move quickly once the first results are visible on the invoice; others may take their time. Either way, the decision stays with the practice.
Mapping shows where direct equivalents exist in each category, and the practice chooses which category moves next and when. Some practices may move quickly once the first results are visible on the invoice; others may take their time. Either way, the decision stays with the practice.
A typical sequence
Step 1
Start with gloves and other high-use SKUs, where specifications are easy to compare and the difference appears quickly.
Step 2
Check the result on your own invoices before going further.
Step 3
Move the next categories where mapping shows a direct equivalent is available.
Step 4
Continue at the pace the practice chooses, with no requirement to finish by a set date.
Phasing versus a single-date switch
The usual way to change suppliers is all at once. A new source is chosen, the whole order list moves on one date, and the team adapts to a new closet in a single step. If an item does not match what clinicians expected, the practice finds out after the switch, in every category at the same time. Whether the change actually saved money only becomes clear once it is hard to go back.
Phasing reverses that order. Each category is mapped before it moves, with differences in specification or packaging shown in advance. Gloves and other high-use SKUs go first, so the pricing difference can be checked on the practice's own invoices before anything else changes. A category that is not ready simply waits.
It also avoids the trade a group purchasing arrangement can involve. Better pricing does not depend on joining a group or committing to volume unrelated to the practice's own usage. The direct path is available item by item, and the practice decides how far and how fast it goes.
Why phasing protects the practice
Phasing keeps the change manageable. Each category is evaluated on items the practice already orders, so the team is never asked to adapt to a whole new closet at once, and the practice can see the direct path working before it expands further.
Each category is evaluated on items the practice already orders, so the team is never asked to adapt to a whole new closet at once, and the practice can see the direct path working before it expands further.
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