For Medical Suppliers, Automated Inventory Replenishment Saves Time, Money and Headaches

Two years ago, Lakes Region EMS in Minnesota typically carried 73 percent more inventory than it 
needed.

And Smilebuilderz, a large dental, orthodontal and oral surgery practice in Pennsylvania, was using complicated spreadsheets, and massive amounts of time, to get an accurate count of inventory spread across three offices. The practice needed better insight into its inventory supply and use, and it needed a more efficient way to track it.

Things changed dramatically for both medical providers when they began using eTurns’
automated inventory control and replenishment app.

Medical supply inventory can be widely varied, it often carries expiration dates, and comes from a
host of suppliers. And, when controlled substances are involved, it requires tight controls.
That makes effective medical supply inventory control and restocking both complicated, and vital.
But many medical distributors are lagging counterparts in other industries when it comes to
implementing technical solutions for their customers’ inventory control. Savvy medical supply distributors recognize that offering a modern, efficient, easy-to-use inventory management system offers an opportunity to gain an advantage over competitors, and build customer loyalty.

That is exactly what happened when Lakes Region EMS began using eTurns’ TrackStock app for
automated inventory replenishment.

Within weeks of its implementation the TrackStock system accomplished much more than
replacing an outdated inventory system. The eTurns app produced documented savings in both
dollars and time, and resulted in a nearly automatic reordering process that virtually eliminated the need to search for supplies on the internet.

eTurns Automated Replenishment Eliminated the Practice of Price Shopping

Previously, when an item needed to be restocked, Lakes Region Operations Manager Brian
Galowitz spent time searching different websites, checking whether items were still available,
poring over spreadsheets to find the right item code or SKU, and matching usage reports from the agency’s two companies and five bases.

With the eTurns system, all that is now a five-minute process, and one that no longer includes
price shopping on the internet.

“I feel like my time is better spent working on other things than trying to save a few cents on an
item. So, if it means I don’t have to set up a new vendor or our accounting people don’t need to
put a new vendor into the accounting system, then I am going to spend a few cents more to stay
with a primary vendor. “We’re getting close to becoming automated with Henry Schein, our primary supplier,” Galowitz said.

eTurns Helped Increase Lake Regions EMS’ Spending With Their Distributor Henry Schein

The ability to reorder with medical supplies distributor Henry Schein through the eTurns app has
not only resulted in significant time savings for Lakes Region EMS, it also has strengthened the
agency’s relationship with their distributor and resulted in greater spending with that distributor, Galowitz said.

Smilebuilderz Decreased by 70 Percent the Time Spent on Inventory Replenishment

In the first months after implementing TrackStock, Smilebuilderz’ inventory controller reported that the automated system enabled her to decrease by 70 percent the time she spent counting,
cataloging, categorizing and maintaining inventory, said Procurement and Project Manager Joe
Romero.

Joe Romero is confident the eTurns system has not only streamlined the inventory process across
all locations, but also has given the practice a clear picture of what it has, what it uses, and what it
needs. And saved money in the process.

When a distributor offers technology that creates that kind of documented efficiency and savings,
competing with Amazon doesn’t just become easier. It becomes unnecessary.