Center for Vein Restoration Regains Visibility and Control Over Inventory with the “Right Partners”

Challenge: Over-Complicated Workflows and Inaccurate Inventory and Ordering

The complexities of the healthcare field require solutions from trusted experts in automation, especially when moving from cumbersome, manual systems in inventory and procurement to time- and cost-saving solutions. In the case of Center for Vein Restoration, problems in inventory and ordering caused inaccuracy, and over-complicated workflows, resulting in wasted valuable time. 

Center for Vein Restoration is a valued customer that trusts Procurement Partners with all elements of its procurement processes. It’s among the healthcare organizations that enjoy up to 40 percent time savings and 95 percent contract compliance through Procurement Partners’ easy-to-use portal and automated procure-to-pay solutions, saving money through complete visibility and control over spend, saving valuable staff time, and combining human experts with the expert software to maximize results. 

The Greenbelt, Maryland-based Center for Vein Restoration is America’s largest physician-led vein center. Since 2007, Center for Vein Restoration has provided safe, personalized, and positive treatment options for vein disease. Center for Vein Restoration is the national leader in varicose and spider vein care, with more than 110 locations, more than 70 vein doctors, and an impressive 98% reported patient satisfaction.  

Dr. Sanjiv Lakhanpal is a world-renowned practitioner, spokesperson, and published researcher in the field of vein care. He founded Center for Vein Restoration, and today serves as its President and CEO. He leads an extensive and complex network of care centers with a culture of clinical excellence, integrity, respect, and trust.  

Across these more than 110 locations, Center for Vein Restoration was experiencing inefficiencies and losses in procurement.  

“Inventory is a hard thing,” says Dr. Lakhanpal. “It’s an in-the-weeds, hard thing to do, especially when you do it right.” 

Working with Procurement Partners, Dr. Lakhanpal’s healthcare organization set out to tackle the complexities in workflow and processes to find time and cost savings.  

Solution: Automated P2P with Custom Volumes for Accurate Reordering 

After looking over procure-to-pay solutions in the healthcare sphere, Center for Vein Restoration made the choice of Procurement Partners’ Hybrent technology platform for procurement and inventory management in 2022. This decision was made with an understanding of the wide range of time and cost savings that come with automated P2P solutions.  

As always with implementation, the process was a partnership between Procurement Partners and its customer based on defined expectations, timetables, and clear communications. When Center for Vein Restoration’s purchasing and inventory switched over from manual processes, it turned out that there were discrepancies in volume levels (single units versus boxes or bulk packages) that were complicating procurement and accurate inventory.  

The key was par levels, an automated feature of the Procurement Partners solution that automatically re-orders crucial supplies when inventory dips below a preset quantity. The par levels were working, but mismatches in volume in ordering were causing temporary confusion that needed to be ironed out. Dr. Lakhanpal and his team rolled up their sleeves with Procurement Partner’ experienced experts to drive alignment.  

“It needed fixing,” Dr. Lakhanpal says. “From my point of view, coming up the ranks as a surgeon, the only way I know is to get into the matter myself.” 

Procurement Partners experts took a deep dive into purchasing workflows across Center for Vein Restoration’s more than 110 facilities. This resulted in streamlining the ordering process and implementing par levels for automated re-ordering with standardized, adjusted volumes.  

Procurement Partners’ healthcare-specific expertise and commitment to customer satisfaction worked hand in hand with Center for Vein Restoration’s trusted internal team to create alignment, clarity, and time and cost savings.  

“It was a very daunting task to restructure our inventory system,” says Dr. Lakhanpal. “The Procurement Partners team really worked hard at making this work for us. It’s uncommon, in an environment today in which many are just trying to make a sale and move on.” 

 Each procurement solution is different, which requires dedicated expertise and commitment to understanding the workflow, needs, and complexity of each healthcare organization. Trust and relationships are key aspects of the process.  

Results: Streamlined Processes, Accurate Inventory, and Better Workflows 

Today, Center for Vein Restoration’s procurement and inventory management, including par levels for automated reordering, are in alignment. Ordering processes have been streamlined, which has resulted in much less back-and-forth, duplicative interactions and communication between managers and teams.  

“Once the numbers started matching, it was a no-brainer,” says Dr. Lakhanpal of the benefits of Procurement Partners’ automated procure-to-pay solution. “We have alignment in the total pieces of equipment we buy, how much we use, and how much is left in our account. It is all tied together.” 

Streamlined processes have meant fewer tasks for staff who can utilize time savings for better productivity, working smarter and increasing job satisfaction and talent retention. Procurement Partners continues to work closely with the team at Center for Vein Restoration, continuing to troubleshoot, offer guidance, and perform business reviews.  

Dr. Lakhanpal stresses the need for leadership in healthcare organizations to not only recognize the value of procure-to-pay automation, but to also keep in mind the power of commitment and partnerships when considering who to work with in P2P solutions—as well as the impact of procurement automation on the bottom line.  

“Managing inventory is a very arduous job,” he says. “But it can be done—with the right partners, with both sides giving it the respect that it deserves. A lot of hospitals and healthcare groups basically just give up on it. They take a financial loss as a result.” 

With Procurement Partners healthcare-focused e-Procurement solution, healthcare organizations save money through complete visibility and control over spend, realize savings in staff time, and enjoy the benefit of human experts to complement leading digital automation practices. Dr. Lakhanpal’s Center for Vein Restoration is among the organizations that have stepped into a winning partnership with Procurement Partners.  

“It absolutely can be done,” he says. “With the right partners.”