Ideas That Work: Negotiate Better Glove Pricing and Reduce Waste

Practical pearls from your colleagues.

Let’s face it, double-gloving isn’t cheap — especially if you’re using a two-glove system with built-in color indicators. But the adequate protection for staff makes this a worthwhile investment for many surgical facility leaders. And there are certain tactics facilities can use to ease the cost burden a bit.

For instance, Nikki Williams, RN, CNOR, executive director of Watson Clinic Surgery Center in Lakeland, Fla., says high usage of this common product can serve as a strong bargaining chip to negotiate lower prices with preferred vendors. She employs this tactic at her center to secure better prices for the specific gloves the majority of her team wants.

Gloving best practices don’t stop there. To minimize waste, Ms. Williams’ center optimizes accurate preference cards that tell staff members exactly which gloves to open and how many to use. These actions help Watson Clinic Surgery Center remain safe and consistent in its glove purchasing. “Double-gloving has remained our standard practice for more than 17 years,” says Ms. Williams. OSM