How to choose procurement software for a nursing home in 2026

The short answer: pick the system the people placing orders will actually use, that checks every order against a budget that moves with census, and that matches every invoice to what arrived. I’ve built purchasing software for nursing homes and assisted living for twenty years. These are the seven questions I’d ask any vendor, including us.

1. Who places the orders, and do they need training?

In most buildings it’s a nurse, a dietary manager or a housekeeping lead, not a buyer. If the system needs a training session, people will phone orders in instead. Hand the demo login to someone who has never seen it.

2. Is the budget flat, or does it move with census?

A flat monthly budget hides overspending when census drops and punishes correct spending when it rises. Ask whether budgets can be set per patient day, and how census gets into the system.

3. What happens when a requisition goes over?

“It shows in a report” means you find out next month. You want it routed to an approver before it’s ordered.

4. How is receiving recorded?

If nobody records what arrived, accounts payable pays what was billed. Ask how a building receives a delivery, and how long it takes the person at the door.

5. Does every invoice get matched, including ones with no PO?

Ask what happens on a price or quantity mismatch, how service invoices without a purchase order are coded and routed, and where matched invoices go next.

6. Are all your suppliers on equal footing?

Some systems are run by a distributor or bundled with a GPO. That can be a good deal. Just know whose catalog comes first, and whether your local suppliers can get on.

7. What does it cost, all in?

Per user, per transaction, per location, or “included” with a purchasing agreement? Ask for the number per building per month, with every user you’ll actually have. We publish ours: $200 per location per month, unlimited users.

Whatever you choose, get that number in writing.