We’re Hiring!

Are you an ambitious, competitive go-getter with a positive attitude? If so, Millennium Surgical, a fast-growing surgical instrument provider, is searching for you — THE person to fill the role of Business Development Associate!

Located just outside Philadelphia, PA, Millennium Surgical has been on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest growing companies in the nation since 2010.

We need talented, self-motivated individuals who are ready to jumpstart a career in B2B sales. Do you want to be a future VP of Sales or an entrepreneur? Do know what it takes to get there? We do. There’s no better industry to be in right now than in the recession-proof healthcare industry.

We need talented, self-motivated and confident individuals to join our growing team of Inside Sales Professionals. If the chance to earn great commissions while working in an intellectually stimulating and friendly environment appeals to you, this could be the place for you.

No medical product experience is necessary, but you must have the desire to learn a broad range of products and work in a competitive sales environment. Training is provided to allow you to become the expert our customers expect and require.

A Day in the Life of a Business Development Associate

• Business Research – Targeting specific verticals and companies that would be a match with the Millennium Surgical value proposition.
• Prospecting – Vetting inbound leads from marketing and outbound prospecting to identify specific decision makers.
• Marketing/Messaging: Crafting insightful talking points, emails and voicemails that will resonate with your prospects.
• Outreach – Contacting the targeted contacts via phone and email to build strategic relationships and generate demand and secure the first quote request.
• Presentation/Sales Calls: Running effective interview calls to build profiles of potential clients with the objective of getting them to move to the next step of the buying process.
• Sales Support – Keeping yourself organized with your pipeline and after each sales call, with notes, tasks, follow-up correspondence, and what your objective is for the next call.
• Closing – Achieve preset sales goals set by management.
• Account Management –Manage your own book of business and engage your clients and prospects in the marketplace.
• Client Success: Working with your colleagues to ensure you are giving them the right quote and processing customer requests in a timely manner.

Why Work at Millennium Surgical

• Setting: Highly-motivated individuals in a competitive sales environment
• Professional Development: Exponential increase in sales skills, business acumen, ongoing coaching, and mentoring, continuous training. Become a Specialty Surgical Instrument Expert!
• Career Development: Promotions are based on achievements and merit, not on seniority. Control your own destiny!
• Ownership: Millennium Surgical is a team of entrepreneurs. Grow to own, manage and advise your client relationships.
• Fun: Upside! Uncapped commissions, monthly and quarterly bonuses, friendly competitions, incentives.

Compensation and Benefits

• Earnings can reach six figures
• Medical, life, accidental death & dismemberment, and disability insurance
• Optional dental & AFLAC supplementary insurance
• 401K with discretionary profit sharing
• Up to 5 weeks of paid time off including holiday and vacation
• 125+ hours of direct training per year along with ongoing career development

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree from accredited college or university
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and persuasion skills
• Commitment to achieving performance goals, individually and as a team
• Experience with Microsoft Office is a plus
• Some sales experience is a plus, but not necessary
• Advanced oral and written communication skills
• Great time management, multi-tasking and prioritization skills
• Must have a proactive demeanor and thrive in an entrepreneurial environment
• Fun to work with and great team player

How to Apply:

Simply email us at info@millenniumsurgical.com with your resume and cover letter!

Does Your Facility Need A Surgical Instrument Purchasing Facelift?

Cost Savings Yet Untapped – Specialty Surgical Instruments

As fiscally-strapped healthcare organizations continue to streamline processes, surgical staff who are familiar with instrumentation are less frequently involved in surgical instrument purchasing. Research and purchasing is being handled increasingly by supply chain and materials management staff who must quickly learn how to effectively buy surgical instruments.

Leading healthcare organizations recognize that one dollar saved is equal to twenty five dollars in revenue increases and smart surgical instrument purchasing can greatly contribute to the tighter budgets faced by healthcare organizations. For example, the same pair of forceps used in cataract surgery can cost between $240 to more than $600 from different vendors. With such disparity prevalent in surgical instrument pricing, the cost-saving incentives make it well worth a facility’s effort to compare prices before purchasing specialty surgical instruments.  The value of surgical instrument purchases in the United States has been figured at six hundred Million dollars a year.

More Requests for Rarer Instruments

Hospital systems are quickly acquiring clinics, surgical centers, and specialty medical practices, such as gynecology, podiatry, ENT and dermatological offices. Large healthcare organization’s supply chain and materials management staff now find themselves responsible for the procurement of specialty surgical instruments for an increasing number of off-site locations and for specialties with which they have little or no knowledge. They are unfamiliar with the vendors, have never done business with them, and have no accounts or contracts with them.

In smaller facilities, instrument purchasing is often handled by a nurse or other staff member whose primary role is patient care. Many lack the resources for intensive research, the instrumentation knowledge, have little time to source and compare costs, and spend a large amount of time playing phone and email tag with vendors. Sourcing specialty surgical instruments for an increasing number of surgeons often means reliance on a GPO or other contracted method that fails to offer discounts on specialty surgical instruments.

Specialty Surgical Instruments are Difficult to Compare

Surgical instruments have become more complex especially in specialty areas like ophthalmology, ENT, orthopedics, spine, and laparoscopic surgery. Compared to other medical products, it can be arduous to compare costs of these highly-specialized and increasingly expensive instruments.

As hospitals and surgical facilities expand, they are performing a higher volume of surgeries in more specialties, usually with multiple surgeons operating in each specialty, each with their own pattern and vendor preferences. It is a struggle for surgical facilities to access quality surgical instruments, satisfy the surgeons’ requests, and lower cost simultaneously.

30% of the Surgical Instruments Required by a Hospital Network Don’t Come Through Contracted Sources

Robert Edelstein, President of Millennium Surgical Corp., has spent the last 23 years working with nurses and instrument procurement staff, helping them to locate and compare surgical instruments. “About 30% of the surgical instruments required by a hospital network don’t need to come through contracted sources,” says Edelstein. “Most often, they are paying list price for these instruments when they don’t have to. We hear time and again from new customers that they could have been saving thousands of dollars a year if they’d managed their purchases more effectively.”

The Instrument Industry is Confusing

Managing purchases more cost-effectively, however, often comes at the mercy of employee time and frustration. With hundreds of companies distributing surgical instruments to facilities in the U.S., keeping track of brands, their ownership, suppliers, sales representatives, and product lines is nearly impossible. To cut through the fog, many hospitals and surgical facilities rely on a GPO (Group Purchasing Organization) to help reduce cost and save time. GPOs, however, have their limitations and it can be a costly mistake to assume a GPO will provide savings on specialty instruments.

Why GPOs Aren’t the Answer for Specialty Instrument Procurement

GPOs have a great track record of helping facilities reduce some costs, primarily on commodity-type products of consistent quality. When GPOs consider surgical instruments, they often only focus on top selling items, general surgical instruments, or the top 1,000 instrument patterns. To become a contracted vendor, instrument manufacturers and vendors compete exclusively on price, forcing the supplier to source the least expensive products they can. While GPO’s have been successful in driving down the cost of basic instruments, quality has been impacted. And they have had little or no impact on the cost of specialty instruments like those used in ophthalmology, ENT, orthopedics, spine, and laparoscopic procedures.

GPOs also don’t offer discounts on most specialty surgical instruments. Large vendors who do offer specialty instruments only offer a limited line, meaning that most must be sourced through small specialty companies. And GPOs lack the experience and expertise in these specialized fields to accurately coordinate pricing. In the end, GPOs can help reduce cost for many standard instruments but fail to provide savings for required specialty instruments.

Comparing and Reducing Cost Can be Done Effectively While Maintaining Surgeon Satisfaction

For as complicated as specialty surgical instrument procurement can be, solutions are available to locate and compare specialty surgical instruments and meet purchasing requirements. Orders can be consolidated, staff time can be saved, and cost reductions are possible while assuring surgeon satisfaction.

9 Tips for Comparing and Reducing Cost While Maintaining Surgeon Satisfaction

1. Focus your cost comparison and evaluation on the higher cost items. These items will have the most impact on your surgeon’s satisfaction and your budget. Millennium Surgical Corp.’s Instrument Specialists have the resources to help you do this quickly, effectively, and in a way that is easy to understand.
2. Give your vendors as much information as possible to identify the instruments you need. Use a catalog or reference part numbers when you can, rather than providing just a description, to clearly identify the instrument. When you can’t, provide photos and measurements along with your description. Millennium Surgical offers the Instrument Guru service which will help you identify rare instruments with worn part numbers.
3. If the surgeon requests a specific instrument from a specific vendor, ask the surgeon why they were specific. Surgeons often ask for catalog numbers or vendors as a habit. Ask your surgeon if lower cost equivalents can be considered. (Millennium Surgical’s instruments can be evaluated in surgery and returned with our 30 day no-risk guarantee.)
4. Work with an instrument vendor who has your interest, and the interest of your patients, at the top of their priority list. “I founded Millennium Surgical Corp. on the principle that instrument procurement shouldn’t be hard, I believe that busy nurses and instrument technicians should stay focused on patient care, and that they deserve an easy way to locate and compare instruments,” says Edelstein. “Your vendor should always have what’s best for your practice and patients at heart.”
5. Work with a company that is constantly expanding and improving upon its product offerings. “We talk to our customers to find out where their pain is so that we can constantly serve them better,” says Edelstein. “We witness the increasing challenges they face and your vendor should always strive to do better.”
6. Be fully aware of return policies. “Not all vendors will let you evaluate an instrument in surgery, some will not accept an instrument for return if the package was opened” says Edelstein.
7. Compare cost.
8. Verify surgeon satisfaction with the instruments.
9. Update your records to reflect the instrument purchased.

Millennium Surgical Corp.’s staff of surgical instrument specialists will work with your department as an ally. Their one-on-one support is backed by an extensive product database with product details, costs, and catalog numbers from most instruments and suppliers. They respond to quote requests quickly, often the same day, with no false promises. They match instruments to your surgeon’s demands and only provide a quote for an instrument that meets your specifications, satisfying more than 99% of the surgeons they supply. And just in case, a no-risk surgeon satisfaction guarantee is in place, with no restocking charges. Instrument Specialists are available 10 hours a day, five days a week, with no complicated phone menus to navigate. Ask your Instrument Specialist about solutions for Supply Chain and Materials Management Departments.

Bipartisan Efforts to Delay the MDET

In a surprise bipartisan effort to delay the Medical Device Exise Tax, the general confusion over the tax itself and the implications on both businesses and medical advancement has taken hold.

An article in the Boston Business Journal outlines the issues. With the first checks due to the government on January 18, small businesses are scrambling to implement procedures to ensure compliance with the prospective tax, rather than deal with a retrospective tax.

The IRS final regulations can be found in PDF form here and the interim guidance document here.

Cyber Monday Special! Save 10% on Surgical Instruments!

Take a few moments from cyber shopping for family and friends and you can save 10%!

Request a quote today! Anything purchased from today’s quote request between the time of receipt and close of business on 12/23/2012 will receive a 10% discount.

So dig out those surgeon wish lists and beat the MDET by placing a quote request today! Don’t forget to mention the promotion when you request your quote!

Phone: 1-800-600-0428
Email: info@surgicalinstruments.com
Request Quote Via Web: Click Here to access our simple request form!

8 Tips to Save Money Ahead of The Medical Device Excise Tax

Last month, in a press release we issued about the Medical Device Excise Tax (MDET), we discussed the ramifications of the tax on the cost of surgical products.

Zachs Equity Research issued a report on 10/2 forecasting the MedTech industry stock outlook, noting that healthcare reform in the form of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) “has led to a less flexible pricing environment for these companies and may increase pricing pressure across the board. Moreover, the highly controversial tax, representing a part of the Act, will be a drag on device companies. The outlay is expected to throttle innovation as it will impact investment in R&D. Moreover, it will lead to job cuts and higher prices for customers… In response, device makers are employing several initiatives, including headcount reduction and other restructuring activities, to counter costs associated with the implementation of the new tax.”

The tax, 2.3% of the cost of medical devices – including surgical instruments – will be passed along to the consumer. It’s wider scope is already being felt. Welch Allyn plans to reduce its work force by 10% over the next three years, due in part to the tax implementation. They currently employ 2,750 people in the U.S. And hospitals are looking for ways to reduce costs, fully aware that the rise in medical device expenditures will come at a time when insurance companies are lowering pay-outs for procedures. Stryker also announced a plan to reduce its workforce ahead of implementation of the tax.

How can your facility avoid sticker shock on January 1, 2013?

1. Don’t buy the cow if you only need the milk – If the instruments you require are typically part of a set, take stock of what your surgeons currently use. Not all instrument vendors will allow you to break sets but a vendor like surgicalinstruments.com will. Work with a product consultant to price out only the items you need.
2. Prioritize your requirements – Sponge forceps are obviously not as critical to surgeon satisfaction as delicate eye instruments. You can save a lot of money by asking your surgeons to identify instruments of which quality is of lesser importance and by making changes in those areas.
3. Don’t take your GPO for granted – In many cases, specialty surgical instruments aren’t included in the contract pricing of a GPO. Assuming that you’re getting a good deal is just that – an assumption. Take two seconds to call 1-800-600-0428 and ask for a price comparison.
4. Plan ahead – Work with your facility’s finance department. Find a way to make major purchases before the end of 2012.
5. Buy more durable instruments – Moving away from disposables where possible can save you a lot of money with immediate results.
6. Increase your sterilization tray inventory – During the month of October, take stock of your sterilization tray inventory. Having plenty of trays on hand means that you are able to turn around instruments more quickly, helping reduce your reliance on disposables and other methods. If you need more trays, consider ordering them before the end of December.
7. Be aware of return policies – Ask your product consultant to give you detailed information about the return policy for the instruments in your quote and/or order. Being absolutely certain of the return policy on each instrument can save you money by eliminating mistakes and misunderstandings.
8. Repair, don’t replace – Many damaged instruments can be repaired at a fraction of the cost and most repairs are warrantied. Consider surgical instrument repairs by third-party vendors instead of the manufacturer or replacement when possible.

Custom Surgical Instruments

Sometimes you really need to customize a surgical instrument. From adding fiberoptic cabailities to retractors, adding curves to curettes, and recreating beloved instruments that have been discontinued by their manufacturers, to gauges, sizers, and reversed angles, Millennium Surgical has you covered!

Having an instrument customized is easy. All you have to do is call one of our Product Consultants at 1-800-600-0428 and tell them what you’d like. If you already have the instrument – great! If not, we can help you find what you need. Then you simply send your instrument and this form to the address provided and we take care of the rest. What could be easier than that?

Corneal Marker

Titanium instruments are some of my favorites. Not just because they’re blue (the blue will fade as the instruments are sterilized) but because most of them are for eyes. The tiny tips of eye instruments are absolutely a work of art.

Corneal markers are used to place marks on the eye prior to procedures like lasik and cataract surgeries.

And titanium instruments, like this Corneal Marker (product number 92-CM023080), are on sale through the end of the year!

Save 10% on purchases over $1,500 and save 15% on purchases over $2,000 between now and December 31, 2012!

An Introduction!

Greetings!

This blog comes from Millennium Surgical, a vendor and distributor of specialty surgical instruments. We’ve been in business for more than 25 years, helping surgical facilities save time and money when comparing the price of specialty instruments. For the second year in a row, we’ve been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies and we’re proud of the fact that so many of our customers trust us to help them make smart instrument purchases.

Through this blog, we will share instrument photos, behind-the-scenes info, tips and tricks to help you save money and more!

Have a question about an instrument? Feel free to email us directly at any time at info@surgicalinstruments.com.