Updated September 2026
The short answer: Independent practices buy through five channels: national med-surg distributors, specialty distributors, direct from manufacturers and pharmacies, general business marketplaces, and verified medical supply marketplaces. National distributors are built for broad, high-volume med-surg buying. A medical supply marketplace fits practices that buy specialty products from several vendors and want one account, one cart and vendors whose documents have been checked.
If you run an independent practice, med spa or wellness clinic, the usual advice is to open an account with a big distributor. That's sound for much of what you buy. It isn't the whole answer if a large share of your spend goes on compounded medications, aesthetic injectables or other specialty products. This guide compares the channels on how they work, using what each company says on its own website, and says plainly where each one fits.
The five ways independent practices buy medical supplies
1. National med-surg distributors
These are the large, broad-line suppliers. Two examples, described from their own websites:
- McKesson Medical-Surgical describes itself as a medical distributor offering medical supplies, distribution and pharmaceutical services, and clinical resources. Its site lists more than 300,000 products, a private-label line (McKesson Brands), and customers including physician offices, health systems, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care and long-term care. It says next-day delivery is available to 95% of U.S. locations. Businesses apply for an account online; McKesson says most are verified instantly, and a sales rep follows up with those that aren't.
- Henry Schein describes itself as a products, services and technology company for healthcare customers, serving office-based medical and dental practitioners, with more than 300,000 branded and Henry Schein-brand products. Its medical division lists medical-surgical supplies, equipment, lab and point-of-care testing, pharmaceuticals and office supplies, plus services such as equipment repair and financing options. Practices can create an online account on its website.
Where they fit best: everyday med-surg consumables, exam-room and lab supplies, equipment and service, and practices that want a rep and one broad-line account. If most of your spend is gloves, syringes, exam-table paper and diagnostics, a national distributor is often the right primary supplier.
What to check: whether the specialty categories your practice depends on, such as aesthetic injectables or compounded medications, are available to your account, and at what price. Catalogs and account terms vary, so ask.
2. Specialty distributors
Specialty distributors go deep in one category. In aesthetics, for example:
- Health Supplies Plus focuses on aesthetic injection supplies. Its catalog includes dermal fillers (hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite and poly-L-lactic acid), body-contouring products and skin boosters, and it sells to licensed medical professionals who register an account.
- MedicalSpaRx says it has supplied medical professionals since 2009 and sells only to licensed medical professionals, not the general public. Its FAQ says it verifies licenses within 24 hours of submission. Its catalog includes dermal fillers, threads, peels, skincare, PRP kits, and cannulas and needles.
Where they fit best: depth and brand selection in one category, from staff who know it well. What to consider: each specialty distributor is another account, login, invoice and set of shipping terms, so the admin work grows with every category you add.
3. Buying direct from manufacturers and pharmacies
Some manufacturers sell to practices directly, and compounded medications come straight from the compounder. A 503A pharmacy fills patient-specific prescriptions; an FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility can supply non-patient-specific office stock.
Where it fits best: a few high-spend products where a direct relationship earns better terms or support. What to consider: you vet every supplier yourself. That means checking each pharmacy's license in its home state and in the states it ships to, confirming a 503B facility on FDA's registered outsourcing facility list, and keeping those records current, one account at a time.
4. General business marketplaces
Amazon Business offers free business accounts and lists healthcare among the industries it serves. Its healthcare page lists medical supplies and consumables and describes business purchasing tools: buying policies and approvals, spend limits, multi-user accounts with permissions, tax-exemption support and Prime Business shipping.
Where it fits best: office, cleaning and general consumables, bought alongside everything else the business needs, with strong purchasing controls. What to check: for prescription products and regulated devices, confirm who the seller is and that they're licensed to sell to you, as you would on any channel.
5. Verified medical supply marketplaces
A verified medical supply marketplace puts many specialty vendors behind one account and checks both sides of the sale. On MedGrid:
- Clinicians sign up free. Your NPI is checked against the federal NPPES registry at signup, and wholesale pricing is visible once you're verified.
- Vendors clear document diligence for each category before they list. Their licences and documents appear on product pages, marked verified by MedGrid.
- You get one cart, one login and one invoice trail across vendors, and carrier tracking lands on the order when the vendor ships.
- In the doctor portal, 503A prescriptions are routed to pharmacies licensed for the patient's state, and 503B products are listed for office use.
- Staff sub-accounts come with an ordering switch, so you decide who can place orders.
Where it fits best: practices that buy across several specialty categories, such as compounded medications, aesthetics, lab panels and clinic supplies, and want fewer accounts to manage. What to consider: each vendor ships its own items, so delivery timing depends on the vendor. And no channel, MedGrid included, is cheapest on every item, so compare.
Medical supply marketplace vs distributor vs buying direct: side by side
| Channel | Best fit | Account setup | Who checks the seller | Buying across categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National med-surg distributor | Broad, high-volume med-surg, equipment and lab supplies | Business application; a rep may be assigned | You confirm the distributor's licensure | One account covers its catalog |
| Specialty distributor | Depth in one category, such as aesthetics | Registration with license verification (for the aesthetics distributors reviewed here) | You confirm the distributor's licensure and product sourcing | One more account per category |
| Buying direct | A few high-spend products | One application per supplier | You check each supplier yourself | Separate accounts, invoices and portals |
| General business marketplace | Office, cleaning and general consumables | Free business account (Amazon Business) | You check the seller for anything clinical | Broad catalog with purchasing controls |
| Verified medical supply marketplace | Specialty buying from several vendors | Free signup with NPI verification (MedGrid) | The marketplace checks vendor documents before listing, and you can review them on product pages | One cart, one login, one invoice trail |
Henry Schein alternatives for independent practices: start with your invoices
A search for a Henry Schein or McKesson alternative usually starts with a specific problem: a category that isn't covered for your account, pricing that doesn't suit a small practice's volume, or too many accounts to manage. Before you switch anything, look at what you actually buy.
- Export 12 months of purchases from every supplier and group them by category.
- Separate commodity from specialty. Gloves, syringes, exam-room and lab consumables are commodity items. Compounded medications, neuromodulators, fillers and biologics are specialty.
- Flag regulated products. Prescription drugs, compounded medications, aesthetic injectables and devices should come only from licensed, authorized sources. FDA tells health care professionals to know their source and verify that suppliers are licensed by the state, and in 2024 it warned about counterfeit Botox given in multiple states. For compounded prescriptions, check the pharmacy's license in the patient's state on the nonresident pharmacy map.
- Match each category to a channel using the table above.
- Price the whole order, including shipping, minimums and cold-chain fees, not just the unit price.
A McKesson alternative for small practices, or a second account?
For many small practices the answer is a second channel, not a replacement. Keep a national distributor for commodity med-surg, where its breadth and delivery network are strengths, and add a channel built for your specialty categories. Replacing a broad-line distributor outright makes sense only when your med-surg spend is small and your specialty spend is large.
Where to buy medical supplies for a clinic: questions to ask any channel
- How do you verify the sellers, and can I see their licenses before I order?
- How do you verify me? Licensed-only channels help keep prescription products in the legitimate supply chain.
- Can I request custom pricing or a price match? On MedGrid you can ask for a better price on any product, optionally with a competitor's invoice, and approved prices apply to every order after.
- Who on my staff can order, and can I switch ordering off for a user?
- How are invoices, tracking and returns handled when I buy from several vendors?
- What payment terms are available?
For wholesale drug distributors specifically, FDA suggests checking the state licensing website and FDA's annual reporting database. It takes a few minutes per supplier and is worth doing for every channel above.
This article is general information about purchasing channels, not legal advice. Company details come from each company's public website as of September 23, 2026; confirm current terms with the company.
Frequently asked questions
What is a medical supply marketplace?
A medical supply marketplace lets licensed clinicians buy from many vendors through one account. A verified marketplace also checks both sides of the sale: MedGrid checks each clinician's NPI against the federal NPPES registry and requires vendors to clear document diligence for each category before they list. You get one cart, one login and one invoice trail across vendors.
Is a medical supply marketplace better than a distributor?
Neither is better for everything. National distributors are built for broad, high-volume med-surg buying, equipment and service. A verified marketplace fits specialty buying from several vendors, and you can use both.
Can a small practice open an account with McKesson or Henry Schein?
Both offer online account options on their websites. McKesson Medical-Surgical has an online business account application, and Henry Schein lets practices create an online account. Eligibility, pricing and terms are set by each company, so ask them directly.
How do I check that a medical supplier is licensed?
For wholesale drug distributors, FDA suggests checking the state licensing website and FDA's annual reporting database. For pharmacies, check the board of pharmacy in the pharmacy's home state and in the state the product ships to. For 503B outsourcing facilities, confirm the facility on FDA's registered list.
Does it cost anything to join MedGrid as a clinician?
No. Clinicians sign up free. Your NPI is verified against the NPPES registry at signup, and wholesale pricing becomes visible once you're verified.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Registered Outsourcing Facilities (September 8, 2026)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Know Your Source: Protecting Patients from Unsafe Drugs (April 25, 2018)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Counterfeit Version of Botox Found in Multiple States (May 2, 2024)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Check Licensure of Wholesale Drug Distributors and Third-Party Logistics Providers (March 6, 2026)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NPPES NPI Registry (accessed September 23, 2026)
- McKesson Medical-Surgical, Home page (mms.mckesson.com), accessed September 23, 2026
- McKesson Medical-Surgical, About us (mms.mckesson.com/content/about-us), accessed September 23, 2026
- McKesson Medical-Surgical, Request an account (mms.mckesson.com/content/request-an-account), accessed September 23, 2026
- Henry Schein, About Henry Schein (www.henryschein.com/us-en/Corporate/AboutUs.aspx), accessed September 23, 2026
- Henry Schein, Henry Schein Medical (www.henryschein.com/us-en/medical/default.aspx), accessed September 23, 2026
- Amazon Business, Home page (business.amazon.com), accessed September 23, 2026
- Amazon Business, Healthcare (business.amazon.com/en/industries/healthcare), accessed September 23, 2026
- Health Supplies Plus, Home page (www.healthsuppliesplus.com), accessed September 23, 2026
- MedicalSpaRx, About us (www.medicalsparx.com/about-us.html), accessed September 23, 2026
- MedicalSpaRx, FAQ (www.medicalsparx.com/faq.html), accessed September 23, 2026
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