Most practices spend thousands each month on supplies but still don’t have a documented ordering system—so spending becomes reactive, inconsistent, and hard to control.
In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with co-host Miranda Beeson, Director of Education at ACT Dental, about what a GPO (group purchasing organization) is, where it fits in your ordering system, and how to combine budgets, accountability, and a repeatable process to stabilize supply costs and improve profitability over time—Listen to Episode 1032 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- A GPO (group purchasing organization) leverages collective buying power to secure better pricing than a single practice can typically negotiate alone.
- Most offices don’t have a documented ordering system, which leads to reactive ordering habits and fluctuating supply percentages month to month.
- A defined ordering system should clearly outline what it is, why it exists, who is accountable, who participates, when it happens, where it happens, and exactly how it’s done.
- Supply ordering should be driven by a budget tied to collections (commonly targeting around 5%) so teams can measure performance and correct course.
- Accountability requires accounting, meaning practices need clear reporting and a way to review whether spending stayed on budget and why.
- Setting minimum/maximum inventory levels and approval guardrails reduces overstock, emergency purchases, and delays when the primary ordering person is unavailable.
- A centralized procurement platform can reduce decision fatigue, save time, and help teams compare options, track spend, and capture savings and rebates more consistently.
Snippets:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why the GPO conversation matters and where it fits in your ordering system.
03:00 Why ordering must be system-driven, not habit-driven.
06:00 Common “systems” that aren’t systems (the whiteboard and the rep-driven order).
09:00 The real dollar impact of small percentage swings in supply spend.
12:00 What a complete ordering system should include (what, why, who, when, where, how).
15:00 Why supply ordering must start with a collections-based budget.
19:00 What a GPO is and how group buying power works.
24:00 How a procurement platform can include supplies, labs, savings, and rebates.
26:00 Why saving time matters as much as saving money in ordering.
30:00 Final recap: intentionality, consistency, visibility, and long-term profitability.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.
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