An independent medical supply distributor since 1978

The independent distributor
for the independent hospital.

Independent, critical access, and rural hospitals deserve the same tools as the IDNs. We are a second-generation independent distributor building those tools. Five of them, live or in development below.

Second-generationFamily-ownedChicago, Illinois
01
The thesis

Independent hospitals don't get the love they deserve.

The big distributors prioritize the IDNs. The GPOs treat independent, critical access, and rural hospitals as an afterthought. The result is predictable. Independents pay more for the same supplies. They wait longer for backorders. They get less attention from sales reps. They have fewer tools to fight back.

The system was not built for them. That is the problem we exist to solve.

02
The mission

Bring IDN-level services to the independent hospital.

Spend visibility. Contract audits. Surgical sourcing. Overbilling recovery. The services IDNs take for granted and pay six figures for. We deliver them to independents at zero or near-zero cost, using AI to make the math work for both of us.

We have been serving these hospitals since 1978. We know exactly what they need because we work with them every day.

03
The execution

Five tools. Built for independents.

Live, in beta, or in active development. Pick the one that fits your problem, or come talk to us first.

04
Howard Medical

A family company built for the independents.

My dad opened Howard Medical in Chicago in 1978. I took over in 2016. We have spent 48 years working directly with the people running supply chain at independent, critical access, and rural hospitals. The AI is new. The relationships are not.

1978
Founded by my father. Family-owned ever since.
2nd
Generation. I bought the business from my parents in 2016.
5 tools
Live or in development. More on the way.

Talk to me.

Whether you have already picked a tool or you just want to understand the bigger play, I answer everything myself.

Mark Litton, CEO. Howard Medical. Chicago.