Automated Inventory Replenishment for Medical Suppliers

Years ago, Lakes Region EMS in Minnesota typically carried 73 percent more inventory than it needed.
Smilebuilderz, a large dental, orthodontic, and oral surgery practice in Pennsylvania, was using complicated spreadsheets and tons 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.
Circumstances changed dramatically for both of these medical providers when they began using eTurns’ automated inventory control and replenishment app.
Medical supply inventory varies widely based on your industry and the size of your business, it often carries expiration dates, and comes from a host of suppliers. When controlled substances are involved, inventory requires diligent oversight and controlled access. 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 customers a modern, efficient, easy-to-use inventory management app 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 medical customer-managed inventory (CMI) app for automated inventory replenishment.
Within weeks of its implementation, TrackStock accomplished much more than replacing an outdated inventory system. The eTurns app produced documented savings in both money and time, resulting in an automatic reordering process that all but 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, He had to pore over spreadsheets to find the right item code or SKU and match usage reports from the agency’s two companies and five bases.
With the eTurns system, that entire process now only takes 5 minutes, and it's one that no longer includes price shopping online.
eTurns Helped Increase Lake Regions EMS’ Spending With Their Distributor Henry Schein
“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’m 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.
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.
Romero is confident eTurns 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. Not to mention saving 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.
Maintain Efficient Inventory Today
Save time, cut costs, and streamline inventory with eTurns TrackStock. Reorder supplies faster with barcode scanning, track real-time usage, and auto-replenish inventory while reducing procurement expenses.
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