Optimize Your Clinic Operations with an Effective Medical Inventory System

Introduction

In healthcare clinics, every second counts. The last thing practitioners should have to worry about is whether they have the supplies they need. Manually checking on supply levels can take up countless hours of crucial time in any given month. Leveraging an efficient medical inventory management system is the best way to save practitioner time, prevent stockouts, and provide the best possible care for all patients.

The Challenges Faced in Managing and Replenishing Inventory in Medical Clinics

In too many clinics, the medical inventory management system relies on manual checks performed by practitioners. Not only does this take time away from what practitioners do best – caring for patients – but it also opens the door to possible errors. Manual inventory protocols are always prone to human error, and the consequences for these errors in a medical environment can be catastrophic. 

While there are excellent options for medical inventory software, some clinics go through the frustrating process of struggling to find software that will work with a space-constrained storage room. For example, weight sensors can keep a running count of inventory items and work well in large manufacturing locations that can accommodate racks of bins. However, in small stockrooms filled with consumable medical supplies where bins need to be stacked on top of one another, these weight sensors become useless. These key healthcare inventory management challenges illustrate the need for automated inventory management solutions that work in small spaces. 

The Benefits of Implementing a Medical Inventory Management Solution

Implementing a medical inventory management solution offers the following benefits:

• Freed up practitioner time, allowing them more mental space and time to help patients
• Reduced risk of running out of consumable medical supplies, an occurrence which can lead to scheduling disasters and a harmed clinic image
• Enhanced patient care
• Cost savings from streamlined supply processes 
• Less stress for all clinic team members

The time savings and peace of mind that come with implementing a high-quality and trustworthy medical inventory management software are well worth the adoption efforts. 

The Key Features to Look for in Medical Inventory Management Software

Using a specialized medical inventory management software can transform your clinic processes in the best possible way, but it’s crucial to select a solution with the exact features your team needs. As you sift through available options, keep the following key features to look for at the forefront of your search:

1. Space-saving solutions: Most clinics have very small storerooms that house a variety of consumable medical supplies. They need automated inventory management solutions that work even with stacked containers and bins. 
2. Decide whether to replenish based on cycle counts or orders: Since tracking usage by scanning out items in a medical clinic is impractical, the best choice is for clinicians to trigger replenishment by doing cycle counts with a barcode scanning app that auto-replenishes inventory using min/maxes, or to do a direct order by visually confirming what they need. 
3. User-friendly displays: Successful medical inventory software doesn’t leave room for guesswork or confusion. Instead, top solutions are complete with accessible displays in the store room and intuitive dashboards online and in-app. 

Electronic Shelf Labels (eLabels) from eTurns address each of these core needs for customer managed inventory (CMI). With a simple clip system that can attach to any bin or shelf, eLabels boost efficiency in healthcare clinics. They display product names, min and max levels, and order status. Users visually confirm that items in the bin are less than the minimum displayed on the label and then push the button on the bottom of the label to trigger a digital order to the supplier. This simple and user-friendly system means medical teams no longer need to wonder whether critical consumable medical supplies will be there when they head to the store room. 

To free up even more practitioner time, with eLabels any worker in the office can trigger a replenishment signal when needed by pushing the button. Once inventory arrives, any inventory manager can replenish supplies into the correct shelves. eLabels give feedback like "on order", "backordered", and “shipped” and prevent users from triggering duplicate orders with additional pushes of the button. Medical organizations like McKesson are integrating with eTurns for smoother and more automated medical inventory management.