Inventory overview
Inventory tracks what your clinic buys, keeps and uses. “Suppliers, purchase orders, and a unified inventory of purchasable items … each tracked through one shared movement ledger.”
The building blocks
Section titled “The building blocks”| Thing | What it is |
|---|---|
| Inventory item | Something you stock. It is either a Consumable (used up: gloves, anaesthetic, implants) or an Asset (kept and lent out: crutches, a nebuliser). |
| Unit | One physical piece of an item that’s Tracked by serial number. Assets are always tracked this way. |
| Supplier | “Who this clinic purchases inventory from.” |
| Purchase order | An order placed with a supplier. Stock is added when it’s Completed. You pay the supplier against it. |
| Movement | One line in the ledger: Received, Consumed, Assigned, Returned or Returned to supplier. Stock on hand is always the sum of the movements. Nothing is ever deleted. Wrong entries are voided. |
| Catalogs | The Categories, Locations and Units (of measure) your inventory is organised by. |
How stock flows
Section titled “How stock flows”Purchase order (Draft → Ordered → Completed) → Received → on hand │ ┌──────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┤ ▼ ▼ ▼Consumed (used up) Assigned (asset lent out) Returned to supplier └─ billable? → patient's invoice └─ Returned (back in stock)How supplies get billed
Section titled “How supplies get billed”An item marked Billable to patient has a Sale price. When it’s consumed:
- on an appointment (Record consumption on the appointment), it’s added automatically when you select Generate Invoice on that appointment, at sale price × quantity. The appointment’s Consumables used section shows it as Billed once it’s on an invoice.
- for a patient directly (from Record movement), it doesn’t belong to a visit. It can still be added to that patient’s invoice from their billable records, but Generate Invoice on an appointment won’t pick it up.
A consumption that’s already on an invoice can’t be voided: “This has already been billed on an invoice - it can no longer be voided.”
Where it is
Section titled “Where it is”Staff & Administration › Procurement: Inventory Items, Inventory Movements, Purchase Orders, Suppliers and New Movement. Its categories, locations and units are under More › Catalogs › Inventory catalogs. On records:
- Appointments get the Record consumption action and the Consumables used section.
- Patients and staff get an Inventory tab: “Every consumable use, asset assignment, and return” for them.
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”| Permission | Allows | Starts on these roles |
|---|---|---|
| Read suppliers / Manage suppliers | See / add and edit suppliers. | Receptionist, Manager / Manager |
| Read inventory items / Manage inventory items | See items, stock and catalogs / add and edit items, catalogs, and archive units. | Receptionist, Manager / Manager |
| Read purchase orders | See purchase orders. | Receptionist, Manager |
| Create purchase orders | Create them. | Manager |
| Update purchase orders | Edit, change status, add charges, record returns, and record payments and refunds with the supplier. | Manager |
| Delete purchase orders | Delete them (Draft, Ordered or Cancelled only). | Manager |
| Read inventory movements | See the movement log and the Inventory tabs. | Receptionist, Manager |
| Record inventory consumption | Record consumables being used. | Receptionist, Manager |
| Assign/loan inventory | Lend assets, and take a deposit for a loan. | Receptionist, Manager |
| Return loaned inventory | Record a lent asset coming back, and refund its deposit. | Receptionist, Manager |
| Void inventory movement | Void a movement. | Manager |
Any money in or out (supplier payments, loan deposits) also needs staff access on the account used.
In this section
Section titled “In this section”- Setting up: catalogs, items and suppliers.
- Purchasing: purchase orders, receiving stock, extra charges, paying suppliers and returns.
- Using and lending: recording consumption, lending assets, deposits.
- Stock and movements: the movement log, item statements, units, voiding, dashboards and reports.
- Guide: Buy stock and bill it to patients.
