Tweet

How Medical Supplies Firms Can Benefit from Factoring

Guest post by: Phillip Cohen

Article Overview: Most medical supplies companies do not receive payments for their goods until weeks after they have been delivered. By factoring their receivables, medical supplies companies can improve their cash flow tremendously, giving them enough cash to buy new inventory regardless of when their customers pay.

How Medical Supplies Firms Can Benefit from Factoring

Now more than ever, medical supplies companies are looking for alternative financing sources. Banks are not approving loans like they used to and recurring cash flow challenges for medical supplies companies are not going away. Medical supplies factoring has been evaluated in the past, but this alternative financing option is becoming a popular and convenient solution to cash flow problems. Most medical supplies companies do not receive payments for their goods until weeks after they have been delivered. In fact, a common cycle occurs when medical supplies companies need to order additional products to ship out to their customers before they have been paid by those same customers. By factoring their receivables, medical supplies companies can improve their cash flow tremendously, giving them enough cash to buy new inventory regardless of when their customers pay.

Factoring is Not a Bank Loan

Factoring offers a huge advantage for medical supplies companies because unlike a bank, the factor's main concern is the credit rating of the customer who is responsible for paying the invoice. In addition, the only collateral used by the factor is the receivable, whereas a bank would often require personal collateral to secure a loan. Also, many of factoring firms do not require long-term commitment. Therefore, a medical supplies company can factor its receivables for as long as it likes.

Factoring Promotes Business Growth

Another advantage of factoring is that it alleviates the hassles of the collections process. Once the medical supplies company sells the receivable, the collection process can be handled by the factor. Medical supplies companies don't have to worry about making collections calls, following up on skipped invoices or hunting down missing documents. This saves time and money and allows companies to allocate resources to more important day-to-day operations of the business.

Factoring is Easier to Find than a Bank Loan

There are thousands of factoring firms to choose from, so finding a company that will factor medical supplies accounts receivables is easier than ever. For example, type ‘medical supplies factoring' into a search engine, and a slew of factoring companies will show up in the results. While there are many factoring companies to choose from, they differ on a large scale. Some may serve an array of industries, while other only factor invoices for a specific industry. Some operate nationally, while some focus their attention in one geographic region. Of course, there will also be many different advance rates and factoring fees amongst factoring firms.

With the current economic climate, it's likely that more medical supplies companies will turn to factoring firms for financing. It allows start-up companies to develop and helps veteran companies continue to thrive.

Related Articles
  Top Five Reasons for Medical Supply Companies to Factor Their Receivables
  Medical Supplies Invoice Funding – The Ongoing Process
  Three Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Medical Coding Accounts Receivable Factoring Firm
  Medical Staffing Invoice Funding: Tips for Managing Customer Fears
  A How To Guide: Allied Health Staffing Factoring
  How Can Medical Staffing Payroll Factoring Help My Agency?
  Should Your Medical Equipment Company Factor Its Invoices?
  Factoring in Canada – Receivables Financing
  Frequently Asked Questions-Funding Medical Billing Companies
  Comparing Medical Transcription Factoring to Bank Loans
  Busting Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myths
  Factoring Can Provide Funds for Businesses in a Cash Flow Crunch
  How Medical Billing Companies Can Avoid the Double Credit Crunch
  Funding for Medical Supply Companies: Banks vs. Factors
  How To Get The Best Factoring Financing From Your Receivable Investment And How Factoring Firms Differ in Canada
  Factoring In Canada – What is the best rate?
  Factoring and Receivable Financing in Canada
  Medical Billing Companies Can Increase Their Cash Flow through Factoring
  How The Right Factoring Firms in Canada Can Provide Financing Factor Facilities Confidentially
  Factoring Financing Canada – What is the best program?

Article Tags: medical supplies factoring, medical supplies funding, medical supplies invoice funding, prn funding



Related Forum Posts
Hello, from Virginia Beach, Va - Hello everyone, My name is Cheree Owens CEO of Labs To Go. We provide Mobile Medical and Testing services in your home or place of business nationwide. I am happy to be on this forum surrounded by entrepreneur mindsets. I am interested in meeting new people to network with. I am also interested in meeting those interested in saving time and money, whether it's for yourself or your business. My vision led me to create Labs To Go because I seen a need. I have been in the Medical field for over 14 years and enjoy helping people. I am always open to new ideas and learning from others. My famous quote, "Success leaves clues." labstogo dot com
Re: What or Who Sparks Your Business Interest - It's interesting to see what the different motivations are by Age Category. I've noticed this around me: 20 to 29yr olds: Motivator: Money 30 to 39yr olds: Motivator: Success/Ambition 40 to 49yr olds: Motivator: Family comes first 50 to 59yr olds: Motivator: Leaving a legacy i've only gone that far in my analysis. Of course this is a braid generalization but I find that it helps direct my marketing to individuals in different age brackets. The product/service can be the same but the Marketing message (Benefit Statement) to a 20 year will revolve around "Money" vs. a 30-something would be on their "Self Image"
Re: Require Info on CAD Fed/Prov Grants for Restaurant Start-up - Hello everybody, I am a Hispanic woman who is going to become a Medical Lab Technician. I have decided to go back to school after having first child a little over a year ago. I have already been accepted into the program, but I am trying to find all the funding I can. I have already applied for Pell Grant and Subsidized Student loans, but the Pell Grant only covered 3 of the 4 classes. So I am looking into grants? Will I qualify this? Please help me.
Different Types of Funding - Finance for business can be obtained through a number of different sources. Let's review some of those channels to help you decide what's right for your business needs: Grants There are over 930 different EU and UK grants and loans available from over 100 issuing bodies. This is the cheapest form of finance and an important part of the funding package that companies and individuals need. We can help you find your way through this maze. Technology Micro Projects: 50% of eligible costs up to £20,000 Research project: For a technical and feasibility study of an innovative idea for new technology 60% of costs up to a grant of £75,000. Development project: For development up to pre production 35% of costs up to a grant of £200,000 Developing an innovative idea: valuable for small companies and individuals at the start of a technical project: 75% of costs of hiring a mentor and consultants. Export To start exporting or moving into new markets grants of 50% of costs up to £20,000 each. Training and Education Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Achieving Best Practice in Your Business, Investors in People Modern Apprenticeships New Deal for various grants. Environment BOC Foundation for the Environment: 25% to 50% of Project cost, typically £20,000 to £100,000 Clean up Fund: Emission reducing equipment up to 75% of cost Community Chest Fund: Up to £25,000 for projects near active SITA sites High Impact Fund: £150,000+ for larger projects near SITA sites Assisted Areas Regional assistance grants of between 10 and 35% for capital expenditure in less favoured areas of the UK. Loans Loans are an excellent source of finance if you have suitable security to borrow against or a reliable earnings stream. This needs to be planned and presented well to obtain funds. Credit cards Provides up to 56 days free credit if you play the game! Overdraft Banks are surprisingly supportive when presented with a well thought through plan and competent management. Bank Loans Lenders tend to look for a good business plan and security. Typically the loan is approved by a centralised back office function rather than the person you meet. Terms and rates depend upon the risk. Repayments can be very flexible to meet your specific needs. Mortgages These can include flexible repayment terms to meet your business needs. This can even be incorporated into your overdraft finance so that you have one flexible account for both personal/ business mortgages and overdraft Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme Up to two years trading: Up to £100,000 Over two years trading: Up to £250,000 However these are difficult to obtain and are a loan of last resort. Export Guarantee Scheme This is government backed insurance against appropriate export documentation. Mezzanine This is a halfway house between loan and equity. It can be an innovative way of raising funds for the more established business. Mostly for expansion capital. Equity This is not as easy as the papers would have you know. Only 1% of business plans received by Venture Capital Funds are successful. However, a good business proposition consisting of a strong demand for the product or service, management track record and a sound financial plan will enhance the chance of success. Business Angels These are high net worth individuals who are successful businessmen looking for investment opportunities. They can provide both time expertise and money. Typical investment size is £25,000 to £250,000 but can go as high as £2m for the right opportunity. Exit within 3-5 years. Venture Capital These are investment funds seeking high rates of return. However typically investments are over a million pounds. Some funds are targeted at lower amounts depending upon the sector and region. These funds are looking for exponential capital growth over 3-5 years. Asset backed finance This can cover machinery, sales invoices even sales orders. It can be a very flexible source of finance to the growing business Leasing This will cover your capital expenditure and spread the cost over a three to five year period. It is particularly useful if you do not have taxable profits to maximise your capital allowances. Sale and leaseback of a property you own is another good source of funds. Factoring Factoring offers a sales ledger administration and debt collection service. Up to 95% of an approved sales invoice is paid within 48 hours, quicker if required. Credit protection is also available to protect against a bad debt. The Factor will own and place a first charge over the book debts and they might also take other charges, depending upon the strength of the financial information. Invoice discounting Invoice Discounting can be Confidential or Disclosed; it depends upon the strength of the financial information. The service is the same as Factoring, except that the sales ledger administration and the debt collection is the responsibility of the client and not the Factor. Pre payment of the approved sales invoice is still up to 95% and the factor will still have a first charge on the book debt and therefore own the debt. This service can also have credit protection cover. All sales invoices need to be for a business to business debt, and some proof of delivery is generally required. Trade Finance This is funding provided against stock purchases, signed contracts and orders whereby the funder will prepay a certain percentage of the value Pension fund It may be possible to use your pension funds for a loan back to the business What do u think about it?
Re: Interrealtionship between financial statements - Hi there, It is not necessary to post each transaction in all of the separate financial statements. In any given transaction, you will post an equal amount of debits and credits to the associated accounts. An example would be if you were to write a check for $500 to office depot for office supplies. The posted transaction would be: DEBIT Office Supplies $500.00 CREDIT Bank Account $500.00 Once the transaction is posted, it will automatically show up on the appropriate financial statement report. In the above example, you would find the Bank Account transaction on the balance sheet and the office supplies transaction on the profit and loss statement. I hope this is clear! Please let me know if you have any other bookkeeping questions. I would be happy to help, Stephanie Horne


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Setting Goals for your Home Based Business

Soda Vending Machine = Energy Hog

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.