A practical, step-by-step checklist from an office administrator who manages purchasing for a multi-location healthcare group. Includes what to check, what to skip, and the one thing most people forget.

I manage purchasing for a healthcare group that runs three surgical centers and a handful of dental clinics. Roughly $2.5 million annually across about 15 vendors. When I took over in 2022, I didn't know much about medical equipment. I knew how to get a good deal on office supplies. That doesn't really translate.

Four years later, I've processed somewhere around 350 equipment orders. Some went great. A few went sideways. This checklist covers what I've learned—specifically for the kinds of purchases we deal with: surgical tables, sterilizers, endoscopy reprocessors, and chairs. If you're buying for a similar setting, this should save you some headaches.

There are six steps here. Step 4 is the one most people skip, and it's the one that's cost me the most.

Step 1: Verify the Vendor's Service Footprint

This sounds obvious, but I've screwed it up before. You need to know: can this vendor actually service the equipment in your area? Not just sell it to you.

We bought a refurbished STERIS 3085 surgical table two years ago. Great price. But the vendor's closest service tech was 180 miles away. When the table started drifting during a procedure (not dangerous, but annoying), it took four days to get someone out. Four days. In a surgical center, that's not acceptable.

Before you place an order, ask directly:

• Where are your service technicians located relative to my facility?
• What's the standard response time for repairs?
• Do you offer a loaner unit while ours is being repaired?
• Is there a local parts depot, or do parts ship from a central warehouse?

I now only buy from vendors who can guarantee a service technician within 24 hours. If they can't, I move on. Doesn't matter how good the price is.

Step 2: Check for Parts Availability (Not Just Current, But Future)

This is where new buyers mess up. They check that parts are available right now. They don't ask how long the manufacturer commits to supporting the model.

For example, we were looking at a urology table recently. The model had been on the market for three years. STERIS had already announced a successor. I called their parts line and asked: "How many more years do you commit to manufacturing service parts for this model?" The answer was five years from the date of discontinuation. That's good. Some manufacturers only commit to three. Others won't give you a straight answer, which is a red flag.

What to verify:

• Explicit parts support commitment (in writing, ideally)
• Average lead time for commonly replaced parts (cables, seals, control boards)
• Whether the vendor stocks parts locally or ships from overseas
• If the equipment is refurbished, are the parts OEM or third-party?

I had a case where a refurbished sterilizer needed a new door gasket. The vendor sent a generic third-party seal. It didn't fit quite right. We lost two days of sterilization capacity. OEM parts only, moving forward. Learned that one the hard way.

Step 3: Understand the Real Power and Installation Requirements

This is boring, but it's where a lot of purchase orders get stuck in limbo. You find the perfect piece of equipment, you order it, and then you realize your facility doesn't have the right electrical outlet or water connection.

For new equipment—say, a washer/disinfector or a steam sterilizer—you need to confirm:

• Voltage, phase, and amperage (208V vs. 240V, single-phase vs. three-phase)
• Water quality requirements (RO water, softened water, or tap)
• Drainage specifications (gravity drain vs. pump-assisted)
• Floor load capacity (some surgical tables are heavier than they look)
• Ventilation requirements (especially for sterilizers that use heat)

We almost bought a robotic surgery system last year. The vendor quoted the equipment, the service contract, the training. Everything looked good. Then we realized the system required a dedicated 30-amp circuit we didn't have. Running new electrical for one OR was going to cost $18,000. The project got pushed six months.

Ask for a site preparation guide before you sign anything. Most manufacturers have one. If they don't, that's a sign they're not used to working with facilities that have requirements.

Step 4: Map Out the Consumables and Recurring Costs

Here's the step most people skip. You buy the capital equipment. You're happy. Then you discover the consumables cost more than the machine over its lifetime.

Take a sterilizer. The machine itself is expensive. But the real cost is in the chemical indicators, the biological indicators, the wraps, the cassettes, the printer paper. For an endoscopy reprocessor, it's the detergent, the disinfectant, the filters, the test strips. These add up fast.

Before you buy, get a list of every single consumable that machine will need for the first year. Then multiply by the expected lifespan (say, seven years). You'll often find that consumables represent 40-60% of the total cost of ownership.

I went back and forth on this for a portable oxygen concentrator we were evaluating for our outpatient center. The unit was cheap. The filters needed replacement every 500 hours at $80 each. If the machine ran 12 hours a day, that's over $700 a year in filters alone. The cheaper machine ended up having a higher three-year total cost than the competitor's model. Nobody tells you this upfront.

Make the vendor spell out the consumables cost per year. If they hesitate, that's a warning sign.

Step 5: Evaluate the Service Contract Options Carefully

Service contracts are where the margin is for vendors, and where the risk is for you. I've seen three basic models:

1. Full coverage: Everything included. Most expensive, least headache.
2. Time and materials: You pay for service calls and parts as needed. Cheaper upfront, but can spike if something breaks.
3. Preventive maintenance only: Covers scheduled inspections but not repairs. Lowest cost, highest risk.

Honestly, I've never understood why some facilities choose PM-only contracts for critical equipment. If your sterilizer goes down and you don't have a service contract, you're looking at a $2,000 emergency service call plus parts. If your facility can't sterilize instruments, you're losing procedure revenue. That calculus changes quickly.

What I do now: I get the cost of the full-coverage contract for the first three years. Then I calculate what the expected repair cost would be under T&M based on the equipment's reliability history. Usually, the full-coverage contract is worth it for the first three years, especially for complex equipment. After that, you can reassess.

But check the fine print. Some contracts exclude "consumables" like seals and gaskets. Others have a per-incident cap. I had a contract that covered labor but not parts. That cost me $4,200 when a control board failed on a washer/disinfector.

Step 6: Verify Compliance Documentation Before Payment

This is the boring administrative step that nobody likes, but it's saved me more than once. Medical equipment purchases often trigger regulatory and accounting requirements:

• For sterile processing equipment: Does it meet AAMI standards?
• For surgical tables: Is it FDA-cleared for its intended use?
• For dental chairs: Does it meet ANSI/ADA standards?
• Does the vendor provide a certificate of compliance or certificate of conformance?
• Is the invoice format acceptable for your accounting system?

We had a vendor ship a refurbished sterilizer without documentation showing it met current ASME boiler code standards. Our compliance officer wouldn't accept it. The vendor had to send it back and retrofit it. That cost us two months of delay and a lot of heated emails.

Now I get compliance documentation as part of the purchase order. If they can't provide it before shipping, I don't release payment until it arrives.

Common Mistakes I Still See

A few things that keep happening, even with experienced buyers:

• Skipping step 4: I've mentioned this already, but it's the most common oversight. Consumables costs aren't hidden. They're just not asked about.
• Assuming refurbished = certified: It doesn't. Some refurbishers do a great job. Others don't. Always ask for certification documentation, especially for pressure vessels.
• Not checking warranty activation terms: Some warranties require installation by an authorized technician. If you self-install, you may void the warranty. Came across this with a dental chair purchase last year.
• Ignoring the manual: You can actually find service manuals and parts lists for most STERIS equipment online. I always skim the manual before buying. It tells me what's likely to fail and how hard it is to fix. Surprisingly few buyers do this.

This checklist isn't perfect for every situation. My experience is mostly with mid-to-large surgical centers and dental groups. If you're a small clinic doing one procedure a day, your priorities might be different. You might not need a full-service contract. You might be fine with a refurbished model from a smaller vendor. But for anyone buying capital medical equipment in a volume-driven setting, I'd start with these six steps.