Want to share your money-saving ideas with Outpatient Surgery Magazine's readers? E-mail us at tips@outpatientsurgery.net. Please include your name, your title and the name of your facility.

When we were having a difficult time getting Versed, Valium and Demerol from our normal vendors, we turned to an online supplier, Southern Anesthesia and Surgical (www.southernanesthesia.com), and bought these medications at good prices.

Nancy Miller
Nurse Manager, Endoscopy Center of PA
endocenter@acsworld.net


Don't bother with patient gowns
We let our pain management patients wear elastic-waist pants or loose-fitting clothes during the procedure. To prep the skin, we use rubbing alcohol, which doesn't stain clothes, doesn't need to be washed off and costs less than Betadine.

Marlene Brunswick, RN
Director of Nursing, Findlay Surgery Center
marlenebrunswick@asc-group-center.net

Auction off old equipment
If you've accumulated equipment and supplies that you no longer use, resell them on ebay.com. This will free up space and recoup some costs.

Mary LePiere
Center Director, Zephyrhills
mary.lepiere@verizon.net