A Walk Down the Memory Lane of Medical Supplies

Remember playing doctor? The Fisher Price doctor’s kit of plastic medical supplies? My favorite was easily the little stethoscope, although I also enjoyed—and still do—the feeling of pressure on my arm when the nurse (well, back then it was my sister, pretending to be a nurse) wrapped the Velcro band tight and pumped it up to take my blood pressure.

Of all medical supplies, the stethoscope is the classic doctor’s accessory. Is it any wonder that its origins are French? It was invented in 1816 by René Laennec at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris. It consisted of a wooden tube and was monaural. It was quite similar to the common ear trumpet of the time.

Medical supplies have come a long way—since 1816, certainly, and since my childhood doctor-playing days—and the stethoscope has evolved to include not only acoustic, but electronic, recording and fetal monitoring possibilities. But the stethoscope, cool and heavy against the chest, remains the symbol of the profession.

Get Dialysis Supplies for Less at United Med

Dialysis is a very delicate process that requires the best in medical supplies to get the job done efficiently and safely. According to USA Today, the fastest-growing group of people requiring dialysis is the 75 years and older category, many of whom already have other major health problems. Furthermore, many of these older patients are in nursing homes, many of which aren’t equipped to handle this serious medical procedure. That’s why it’s imperative that if you run a dialysis center and are treating these fragile older patients, you are fully stocked on the medical supplies you need to get the job done efficiently for the patient. 

If you run a long term care facility and are looking for quality dialysis supplies in addition to your regular order of nursing home supplies, you should look no further than United Med. In addition to our impressive stock of everything from Band-aids to blood pressure monitors, we have top notch dialysis products available from Dialycare. Dialycare has a comprehensive supply of anything and everything you need to treat a patient needing this life-saving renal therapy.

Get Up-to-Date Medical Supplies

If you run a private clinic or medical facility, you should know firsthand that the medical supplies and equipment you use should be top-notch. These days, it’s expected for facilities in the U.S. to have the latest and greatest medical supplies and equipment. If you’re concerned with the costs of regularly updating your medical supplies, you should put yourself in the patient’s shoes. It’s a truly scary thing to relinquish control over your life and put it in the hands of a total stranger.

In addition, as a patient, you are paying tons of money to get, what you anticipate to be, the best treatment available. This is especially true if one of your patients is going to be paying for their treatment out of pocket. Often times, nursing homes and long-term care facilities get away with not having decent medical supplies. This is outrageous. Elderly individuals are often ailing, and if your facilities doesn’t have the proper nursing home supplies to ease their pain and treat their ailment, you’re basically telling them that they’re lives aren’t worth the money you’d spend on new medical supplies.

So get up to date on the latest medical supplies. Do it for yourself, your patients, and your practice.

Medical Supplies News: FDA Expands Defibrilator Recall

Last November the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall on some models of external defibrillators, a staple in many facilities nursing home supply. The original recall included defibrillators manufactured by Cardiac Science Corporation and now included GE’ s Responder, and two Nihon Kohden model’s also made by Cardiac Science. This brings the total defibrillator recall count to nearly 300,000.

"The FDA is issuing this notice so that users can take the proper steps necessary to assure they have access to safe and effective defibrillators," Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.

In addition to nursing home supply, external defibrillators can be found in airports, hospitals, homes, and other public places and are integral in reviving someone struck with sudden cardiac arrest. According to the FDA, the devices were recalled because they suffer from a malfunction of the relay component and have faulty resistors.

Because of these defects, the recalled devices may not be able to administer the life-saving shocks needed to revive someone in an emergency. In addition, the FDA stated that the defects may not be able to properly recognize electrode placement.

The recall affects defibrillators manufactured between August 2003 and August 2009. Models affected are:
Powerheart-9300A, 9300C, 9300D, 9300E, 9300P, 9390A and 9390E
CardioVive- 92531, 92532, 92533
Nihon Kohden-9200G and 9231
GE Responder-2019198, 2023440

How a Medical Supplier Helps the Doctor Patient Relationship

A recent article in the New York Times described the effects of a hospital’s conversion to an EMR system, or electronic medical records system. In many cases, the patient doctor relationship suffered due to the doctor’s manipulation of records through a third party – the computer.

Even tech savvy docs still have trouble keeping the patient involved, because understanding the records can mean turning one’s back on the patient in order to read the patient’s history on a screen. Some doctors have trouble interacting with patients to begin with, and for them, using EMRs makes the situation even worse.

Fortunately, when ordering medical supplies or nursing home supplies, United Med Supply doesn’t sacrifice the supplier- suppliee relationship. Using computers almost always increases the ability for the hospital or nursing home to easily get what they need, without having to undergo much difficulty. Part of the reason for this is the lack of face to face interaction, and thus the need for computers to supplement a history without messy paperwork. Facilitating the use of medical supplies should make it easier on the patient eventually, because when the supplier does everything they can for the doctor, the doctor is happy. And a happy doctor means a happy patient.

OnSiteRX Machine May Change RX Game

Dealing with pharmacies can be difficult. Prescription changes and health insurance bureaucracy leads to general inefficiency. Ultimately, this can greatly increase the trouble in moving medicine into the hands of the patient. Especially when ordering prescriptions for clients on a large scale, the amount of time involved can be devastating. Back and forth phone calls, prescription faxing, and inconsistency can lead to a nightmare of paperwork and delay.

Recently, however, a new on- site prescription delivering machine has allowed for greater ease in distribution, helping a nursing home save $10,000 dollars over a trial six week period. With nursing home supplies being distributed on a larger scale it seems natural that pharmaceuticals become more easily dispensed. This machine, and others like it, could lead to a revolution in the dispensation of pills, saving time and money for all of those involved.

The Texas based company that makes this machine, OnSiteRX, is promoting its dispensers to facilitate the nursing home supply industry’s usage of prescription pills. In the meantime, the socialization of health care may lead to even more bureaucracy and paperwork. Whether it’s greater ease in distributing medical supplies or nursing home supplies, here’s hoping for the future!

Medical Supplies the Easy Way

A nursing home supply company holds all of the essential medical supplies for any nursing home supply needs. These consist of many items that facilitate comfort for the needy. Comfort includes, but is not limited to, patient room supplies, ostomy, diabetic supplies, food services, and wound care.

Medical supplies are increasingly in demand in the health care field today. Rather than use a nursing home supply company that simply deals in nursing home supplies, why not deal with a company that you can trust? United Medical Supply Company is a premier global health care company that works with you to decide how to manage costs and to determine what products best meet your needs.

We have supply item lists to help you organize what medical supplies you need. We deal with manufacturers such as ConvaTec, Everest & Jennings, Dynarex, BD, Gojo, Cardinal Health, Smiths Medical, San Jamar, First Quality, Tyco, Novartis, Lumex, Kimberly-Clark, Hollister and Nestle.

When you buy from United Medical Supply, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best prices and the best service on all your medical supplies. If you’re a new customer, fill out a credit application and credit card authorization form to start shopping confidentially today.