Bologna, September 10th, 2014 - Pharmagest, a European leader providing turnkey solutions to healthcare professionals, chooses the Lynx™ PDA from Datalogic, a world leader in Automatic Data Capture and Industrial Automation markets and world-class producer of bar code readers, mobile computers, sensors, vision systems and laser marking equipment, for running its OPTISTOCK application in pharmacies. This versatile application is used for stock management, order receiving, price checks, and inventory control. Six hundred Lynx PDA’s have already been deployed in pharmacies in France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and the number continues to grow as more pharmacists see the benefits the solution provides.
To run the OPTISTOCK application, Pharmagest required a PDA that could provide high performance in an ergonomic form factor. It had to be easy to handle, have a bright, visible screen to display the application, and be robust enough to withstand frequent handling and repeated falls. From a technical point of view, the product needed to read 2D codes, which are now required in all French pharmacies, and have a solid Wi-Fi radio for real time wireless communication everywhere in the pharmacy.
The technical team at Pharmagest examined several products before selected the Lynx PDA from Datalogic for its unique features. Small, lightweight and ergonomic, Pharmagest uses the Lynx PDA several times a day for order receiving. When a shipment arrives, the pharmacist selects the application related to the order with the Lynx PDA, acknowledges receipt of it and verifies that all the products ordered have actually been delivered. The data is entered and updated in real time in Pharmagest’s integrated management software.
The Lynx PDA tracks and monitors stock status in the front and back office of the pharmacy in real time. If a difference is detected, the operator can use the PDA to correct the quantity directly in the system and then identify the origin of the difference quickly in order to implement the necessary corrective actions to prevent the error from occurring again. The PDA also verifies that the quantities of the physical inventory and virtual stock match during the annual inventory control.
The Lynx PDA performs price checks at the point of sale as well. The number of pharmacies equipped with electronic tags that update prices automatically is limited, so most pharmacists have to check the prices displayed on a regular basis. Using the PDA, the pharmacist scans and verifies that the price on the label corresponds to what is indicated in the software. In the case of a price discrepancy, the operator can edit the label directly using the Lynx PDA, which then sends the correct label to the printer to be reprinted.
Using the solution with the Lynx PDA, Pharmagest observed a significant reduction in data entry errors and stock discrepancies, as well as improved replenishment management. The real time inventory management system helped pharmacists resolve their overstock problems and reduce overall storage costs. Most importantly, productivity gains obtained by the solution with the Lynx PDA gave pharmacists more time to dedicate to higher added value activities, such as customer service and merchandising.
Dr. Romano Volta, Chairman and CEO of Datalogic Group commented: “We are happy that our solutions have once again attracted the interest of an important company in the healthcare industry which put its trust in the Lynx PDA and has obtained numerous competitive advantages. Our experience brings significant benefits to this highly specialized industry which requires particular attention, as individual health and well-being is at stake.”
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