If you’ve worked in veterinary medicine for any amount of time, you know that there are surprises around every corner. You can never predict what you will encounter in a day and that’s part of what makes it exciting and very rewarding!
What isn’t exciting, however, is being met with a challenge that you are completely unprepared for. And if you’re managing inventory, supply problems and backorders can sneak up on you if you’re not careful. This can negatively impact your team and patient care if you don’t already have some systems in place to mitigate them.
Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to ensure your clinic doesn’t go completely off the rails when something is out of stock.
Researching & Discovering Backorders
You can avoid a lot of grief over backorders simply by being proactive. Most of the time, there will be warning signs of an impending shortage. If you keep your ear to the ground, you can take steps to prepare for it.
Build strong relationships with your distributor and manufacturing reps ahead of time. Frequently, they receive a heads-up about what may be going on backorder before anyone else. And they may send out information and resources to help you navigate any shortages they see coming.
For non-veterinary specific drugs, you can also set up alerts with the FDA Drug Shortage Database. With this tool, you can receive daily updates for medications and ingredients that are currently experiencing shortages.
Finding Alternatives
Once you are aware of a potential shortage or know that something is going on backorder, it’s time to get to work on finding alternatives. This can prove challenging if you only work with a couple of distributors.
Because product availability can vary, it’s a good idea to establish accounts with both small and large distributors ahead of time. A product that is out of stock at a larger distributor may be found at a smaller one and vice versa.
For medications, you can also check to see if it is available compounded. Unless there is a raw material shortage, compounding pharmacies can often offer alternatives of some products that can be life-savers.
Communicating With Your Team
Backorders on their own are a pain. But, if you don’t already have a solid foundation for communicating with your team, it can make matters even worse.
You can avoid the frustration of vets trying to prescribe backordered products while seeing patients or team members getting irritated thinking that you’ve just not ordered vital items and let things go out of stock by indicating when something is on backorder.
Having “On Backorder” labels on the shelves can be a good first step toward letting people know that there is a product shortage. But, you don’t want to just rely on any one method of communication.
Creating a “Backorder Master List” that your team can reference and setting an alert in your practice management software helps to ensure that this information reaches everyone and that nothing falls through the cracks.
Dealing with supply disruptions is no one’s idea of fun. But, by using the strategies laid out in this blog, you can ensure that your team has everything they need to maintain a high standard of patient care. By communicating effectively, you can also ensure everyone is on the same page.
For even more guidance on dealing with backorders, download The Ultimate Guide to Backorders for FREE.
When you are the only person who does what you do in your clinic, it can start to feel a little isolating. But, it doesn’t have to be this way!
If you would like support from a community of veterinary inventory managers just like you, join the Veterinary Inventory Strategy Network (VISN). The VISN is a free online community where you can get a heads-up from other members on potential backorders, inventory solutions, and more. You can join at www.veterinaryisn.com.
