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Inventory Scanners Perfect for Keeping Hospitals on Top of Supplies

When you think about all of the supplies needed to keep a hospital running in tip-top shape, it's really quite amazing that things go as smoothly as they do. From the big MRI and x-ray machines down to the cleaning supplies used to keep those floors sparkling white, a hospital is really like a small city. But how do you keep that city organized? How do you make sure that supplies are re-ordered when needed? Part of that is making sure you know exactly what is on hand-and that means point-of-sale scanners.

It's easy to be able to pinpoint exactly how many scrub jackets and scrub tops are in stock when you've already scanned them all in with a handheld inventory scanner. When an item leaves stock, it too can be scanned so the system knows to reduce the quantity on hand. It's really quite simple-record when something comes in and when something goes out, and you'll always have an accurate count.

Of course, it's also important to make sure the right thing is going out, especially when you're dealing with something like medicine. Scanners can be useful as a double check for dispensing medicine, making sure the correct prescription has been filled, as well as the quantity and size. Using a inventory system can also ensure there is adequate supplies of medicine on hand when the patient needs it. After all, what good is medicine when it's sitting on a loading dock 100 miles away instead of in the pharmacy when it's needed. Getting accurate reorder points is essential. When there is something as important as a patient's health at stake, it's important to get it right the first time.

I know what you're saying-when you think of keeping a hospital running, you don't think of point-of-sale scanners, you think of a nice man or woman in nursing scrubs, smiling at you and offering to take your temperature. Well, those men and women certainly keeping things running smoothly with their expertise and bedside manner, but the backbone of the hospital really is the system. Those nurses can't take your temperature without their thermometers (and actually, they can't show up to work at all unless they have their scrub uniforms, assuming their dispersal is handled by the inventory system), so making sure supplies are in the right place keeps the hospital working like a well-oiled machine.

So next time you make a visit to a hospital (let's hope it's just for something routine), take a look around you. See all the places that an inventory system touches. Nod your head as you realize the importance of keeping everything going simultaneously and seamlessly. You realize that behind every good system or process there's a backbone of data and organization. And though it will never be the first thing someone thinks of when they think of a hospital, just remember what point-of-sale means to each and every hospital around the country.

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