Scanning in the supply room

[elizabeast7]

Greetings!

Our hospital has supply rooms set up for each unit with a scanning system. We are routinely not scanning, and thus not charging for supplies.

Hypothetically, staff will sign into the computer, select the patient, scan the item, hit save and log out of their ID.

This is not happening.

Any suggestions? How does your facility track supplies?

[happymfk]

I am curious if you were able to come up with a solution. I am facing a similar situation and am trying to come up with a solution to motivate people to scan items. Thanks!

[RainMom]

We have a sticker system - little yellow sticker on the item is placed on a charge sheet taped to the wall in the patient's room. q midnight, the charge sheet is collected and processed by the unit clerk and submitted to accounts receivable when the patient is discharged. No logging in, selecting the patient, scanning, waiting for the system for the system to process before scanning next item. I love it. Accounts receivable? Probably not so much.

This is similar to what we use except there is a log in the supply room where you can immediately apply the sticker to the correct pt acct/charge card before you leave the room. Sometimes with dressing supplies when you're not sure exactly what you need or how much a wound will take, extra things get taken out. Then the stickers from the used items will end up on scrub tops or the WOWs, possibly not making it onto the charge log. Tubing is kept in the pyxis.

[smf0903]

We have a sticker system - little yellow sticker on the item is placed on a charge sheet taped to the wall in the patient's room. q midnight, the charge sheet is collected and processed by the unit clerk and submitted to accounts receivable when the patient is discharged. No logging in, selecting the patient, scanning, waiting for the system for the system to process before scanning next item. I love it. Accounts receivable? Probably not so much.

This is the system we have as well.

[MunoRN, RN]

Hospitals don't actually bill for things like flushes, dressings, IV tubing, etc separately, all major insurers follow the CMS inclusive room charge method of billing. It's only very specialized (and expensive) equipment that can be billed separately (things like pacemakers, artificial joints, etc).

Many hospitals do however keep very close track of their supplies but that is only for internal use, it's not used in billing. Some hospitals provide an itemized list of supplies used with a bill, but it's not factored into the bill total, rather it's just to help justify the room charge.

[geodon]

Could the cost be charged via a procedure note? I worked at place where inpatient dialysis was charged when the intervention was charted. Central lines were charged when central line placement was charted and so on. It used to be stickers but this was even easier.

[Steffy44]

On my floor the things like foleys, expensive dressings, etc are locked in a Pyxis like machine and we have to log in to even get the proper door open. Once the door opens "bi$ching Betty" hollers at you did you forget to do something if you close the door before hitting take. Some of our ortho dressings are $600 so they get excited when we don't account for them. Things like urinals and toothpaste are kept outside of these machines. That's where we get hit for missing supplies.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Places actually lock up foleys? Wow. We don't scan anything but meds. And I think the scanning of meds is simply to make sure they are administered properly. That would be so time consuming to have to scan in your iv tubing.

Things like central lines that need to be put in do get charged, but out techs do the paperwork on that. We just put a sticker with the date it was put in and our techs take care of it.

I guess your nurses would probably tell you it's a time thing.

[Steffy44]

Our pricey items are pulled out of a machine called a Pyxis. Much like our meds. You sign in under your name to access the system and choose the pt. You are supposed to select the item before you close the door or "whining" Betty will ask if you forgot something when you close it. You actually have to select no to log out. Still, we have people who do it. I don't understand why. We have dressings that cost $600... I'm sure there has to be a way to audit it to see who chose no.

[Cruella de ville]

It sounds like there are 5 steps to signing out each item so it makes sense that a busy nurse isn't finding the time to do that.

We have a handheld scanner system, we grab the scanner, scan the patients room from a chart on the wall, then scan each item we want to remove from our open shelves. The shelves are all organized and usually fully stocked.

It is quick and easy which makes compliance much easier.