SYSTEM AND METHOD OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

• US 20120296769A1
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Incorporated (The Carlyle Group LP (Corporate Private Equity))
• Original Assignee: Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Incorporated (The Carlyle Group LP (Corporate Private Equity))
• Inventors: Ginster, William G. II, Napoli, Joseph P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,818,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An order management system including a server including a processor, a network interface for communicating with at least one medical device having an associated plurality of consumables, data storage means for storing relationship information for each consumable, current inventory for each consumable, usage history for each consumable, and an order management module including program instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to calculate consumable order information based on the relationship information, current inventory, and usage history for each consumable.

Claims

1. An inventory management and notification system, comprising:

a server including;

a processor;

a network interface for communicating with at least one medical device having an associated plurality of consumables;

data storage means for storing beginning inventory for each consumable, shipment quantity information for each consumable, usage history for each consumable, usage on-board the analyzer, low inventory alarm percentage, and order scheduling information for each consumable including date of next scheduled order for each consumable; and

program instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to;

calculate a current remaining quantity for at least one consumable by adding beginning inventory and shipment quantity information and subtracting usage history for each consumable currently being utilized;

calculate an expected remaining quantity for the consumable;

compare the current remaining quantity for the consumable with results of the multiplication of the expected remaining quantity and the low inventory alarm percentage; and

communicate with the network interface to selectively send a notification based on the comparison.

2. The inventory management and notification system of claim 1 wherein the medical device is a clinical analyzer and wherein the plurality of consumables is selected from at least one of the group consisting of reagents, calibrators, controls, verifiers, fluids, and disposables.

3. The inventory management and notification system of claim 1 wherein the data storage means further includes a portal accessible by a plurality of remote computers and associated authenticated users through the network interface wherein the data storage means is further configured to store at least one interface accessible through the portal for selecting one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of user name, login name, password, entity represented, medical device type, user address, name of person to be notified and method of notification.

4. The inventory management and notification system of claim 3 wherein the method of notification is selected from at least one of the group consisting of SMS, MMS, electronic mail, and automated telephone call.

12. The order management system of claim 1 wherein the data storage means is further configured to store operational history of each medical device and consumable ordering history associated with each medical device.

5. An order management system, comprising:

a server including;

a processor;

a network interface for communicating with at least one medical device having an associated plurality of consumables;

data storage means for storing;

relationship information for each consumable;

current inventory for each consumable;

usage history for each consumable; and

an order management module including program instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to suggest a consumable order schedule based on the relationship information, current inventory, and usage history wherein the consumable order schedule includes a plurality of consumable buckets.

6. The order management system of claim 5 wherein the data storage means is further configured to store at least one of consumable item description, catalog number, pending ship quantity, and suggested order quantity.

7. The order management system of claim 5 wherein the medical device is a clinical analyzer and wherein the plurality of consumables is selected from at least one of the group consisting of reagents, calibrators, controls, verifiers, fluids, and disposables.

8. The order management system of claim 7 wherein the relationship information includes an associated calibrator for each reagent.

9. The order management system of claim 5 wherein the data storage means further includes a portal accessible by a plurality of remote computers and associated authenticated users through the network interface wherein the data storage means is further configured to store at least one interface accessible through the portal for selecting one or more parameters selected from at least one of the group consisting of customer information, payment information, items to be ordered, quantity of items to be ordered, order cycle, workdays between order, safety stock days, workdays per week, and number of assays served for each consumable.

10. The order management system of claim 9 wherein the order management module further includes program instructions configured to display, in the at least one interface accessible through the portal, the calculated order information in the form of one or more user selectable parameters selected from the group consisting of groups of consumables, suggested order quantity of each consumable in each group of consumable, and timing of purchase.

11. The order management system of claim 10 wherein the order management module further includes program instructions configured to communicate, using the network interface, a purchase order to a supplier of consumables based on the user selections.

13. A method of consumable order management, the method comprising the steps of:

defining groups of consumables based on the stored relationship information;

remotely monitoring the medical device to acquire at least consumable usage history and current consumable inventory information;

calculating consumable order information based on the defined groups of consumables, current inventory, and usage history for each consumable;

displaying a suggested order schedule having selectable parameters and based on the calculated consumable order information; and

transmitting a purchase order based on the user selections of the suggested order schedule.

14. The method of consumable order management of claim 13 wherein the medical device is a clinical analyzer and the plurality of consumables is selected from at least one of the group consisting of reagents, calibrators, controls, verifiers, fluids, and disposables.

15. The method of consumable order management of claim 14 wherein the relationship information includes an associated calibrator for each reagent.

16. The method of consumable order management of claim 13 wherein the step of remotely monitoring further includes acquiring operational history information and consumable ordering history information.

17. The method of consumable order management of claim 13 wherein the selectable parameters include at least one of customer information, payment information, items to be ordered, quantity of items to be ordered, order cycle, workdays between order, safety stock days, workdays per week, and number of assays served for each consumable, order quantity of each consumable, and timing of purchase.