How do I create or add an inventory item?

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Collect all your inventory information in one place and track your on-hand amounts easily and efficiently. When you first start with Pulse, you will want to set up your inventory to best suit your needs. As you get new inventory items, you will also add those here.

• To add new inventory items click on Menu > Inventory > Inventory Management.

From Inventory Management you can update your settings, vendors, core vaccines, controlled substances, manufacturers, drug routes, and view your on hand reports.

The program comes with many different inventory categories that can be seen from the Category drop-down list.

• You can change the name of a Category by clicking the Edit link that appears when a category is selected. Add a new Category by clicking the Add link, or delete an entire Category by clicking the Delete link.

Note: If you delete a Category, all inventory items within that Category will be deleted as well.

Adding an Inventory Item

• Click the Add Inventory Item link on the Inventory Management screen.
• The Add Inventory Item screen will display. 

• • Select the correct Category.
  • Select the Vendor and Manufacturer. If you do not see the correct vendor and/or manufacturer, you will need to update them in their sections respectively. Please see these articles for more information - Vendor Management and Manufacturer Management
  • Enter a Code - This can be alphanumeric and it must be unique.
  • Give it a Name.
  • Check off whether or not it is a controlled substance. For more information on controlled substances see this article - Controlled Substance Reporting
• Click Next. The following screen will show next:

• Scroll down to the bottom to see all the options.
• The information you entered on the first screen will show up at the top. On this screen you will need to give information in all the fields beginning with Location:
  • Location - This is where you physically keep the item in your inventory (Shelf 1, Blue Bin 2, etc.)
  • Sell Measure - This needs to be the amount in which you typically dispense the item. You may have an entire bottle of Bute tablets, but you would dispense them a tablet at a time. In this case the measure would be "tablet." Depending on which measure you use, you will be able to enter a dosage amount based on weight. The system will then automatically calculate the amount of the item that is needed per patient.
  • On Hand - This is the number of the measure you have. In our example above, if your bottle had 200 tablets, then you would have 200 on hand.
  • Lots - Check off this box if you wish to track different lots. The system has the intelligence to use up one lot and then move to the next for your reporting.
    NOTE: If pricing information is included in Lot set up, this will OVERRIDE the pricing set up in the general item settings.
  • Reason for change: You can update this if you make any changes to the amounts and it will show up on your On Hand Change Report.
  • Cost - This is the amount is cost you per measure.
  • Markup - If you enter a markup percentage, it will multiply your cost by the markup percentage and directly update the Price field below it.
  • Price - This is the price you charge for the item. You can enter it directly or use the markup field.
  • Minimum Price - This is the lowest cumulative price you ever want to charge for the item no matter how little of the item is sold. For example, if you have your price set to $1 per tablet, but you only need to dispense one quarter of a tablet, you may want to set your minimum price at $0.50 so that the system doesn't charge them the too low amount of $0.25.
  • Maximum Price - This is the highest cumulative price you ever want to charge for the item no matter how many you sell per patient per line item. 
  • Service Fee - This is an additional fee (such as a disposal fee for syringe) that you would also want to charge whenever this inventory item is dispensed.
  • Tax Level -  Set whether or not the item is subject to sales tax.
  • Allow Price Change - This check box determines whether or not the price can be changed upon checkout. The employee would still need the right to change the amount even if this box is checked.
  • Exclude from Percentage Discounts - If you offer a discount to a certain group of people (i.e. senior citizens), this box will allow you to exclude items from that discount.
  • Percentage Discount - This will allow you to discount this item. For example, if you wanted to run a special on Front Line flea treatment, you could enter a percentage discount in this field and the client's invoice will show the original amount and then the amount after the discount.
  • Hide on [Invoice | MR View | MR Printout] - These fields can be used to hide this item on the invoice/MR View/MR Printout if it has no cost to the client. This can be used in one of two ways. First if you want to track the quantity on hand of something you don't charge the client, for example, a syringe, and you do not want it to show up as an item on the invoice. This item would have no cost on the inventory item. Second, you can mark something as hide on... if it does have a price for the client. If you order the item on its own as a billable item, it will show on the invoice, but if you use it as part of a package (such as a euthanasia) you can mark it within the package as zero cost and it will be hidden on the invoice.  
  • Exclude from Production Calculations - This is for your production reporting.
  • Default Quantity - This is the number of the item that will show up when you first go to add it as a treatment. You can change the number at that time.
  • Minimum Quantity - The least amount of the item you want in your inventory at any given time. If your inventory goes below this amount, it will show up on the On Hand Alerts report.
  • Maximum Quantity - The largest amount of the item that you want in your inventory at any given time. If your inventory goes above this amount, it will show up on the On Hand Alerts report.
  • Change patient status to - This field will allow you to change the patient's status. For example, if you sell an urn, you may want to change the patient's status to deceased.
  • Change Patient Sex? - Check this box if this item could change the patient's sex to neutered or spayed.
  • Vendor Drug Number - This is most commonly used for Lot Numbers or Rabies information but will not show as serial number on vaccine entries or Rabies certificates.
  • Expiration Date - This is the date the item will expire on your shelf. This date will not influence the expiration date on the patient's Rx label.
  • Linked Inventory Item - You can link this item to one other inventory item. This helps when you have one inventory item that can be used in two different ways that you want to link together such as Rabies one year vaccination and Rabies three year vaccination.
  • Handout - If you have information you would like to pass on to the client when this item is invoiced, select the document from the list.
  • Reminders - If the item should have a reminder after it is dispensed, you can set when to remind the client, when it is due, and when it is considered overdue.
  • Has Client Notes - These are notes that you want to show up on the client's invoice when this drug is added to their treatment. You can edit these notes later by clicking "Edit Notes."
  • Is Microchip - Check this box off if it is a microchip
  • Is Medication - Checking this box will make this medication show up in the patient highlights section on the medical record. It will allow you to track patients easily who are on this medication. For more information on this section and how it relates to the patient's medical record please see this article - Monitoring Ongoing Problems and Medications
  • Is Dispensable - Check this box off if the item will require a Rx label. A box will pop up where you can enter the Name that should appear on the label and the expiration date of the item once it is dispensed.
  • Controlled Substance - Check this box off if it is a controlled substance. A box will pop up where you enter what schedule the substance is. For more information on controlled substances see this article - Controlled Substance Reporting
  • Is Vaccine - Check the box off if the item is a vaccine. A box will show up where you enter all the vaccine information. For more information on adding new vaccines please see this article - Adding a New Vaccine
  • Has Restrictions - This box will allow you to restrict which patients this item can be dispensed to by weight, age, and species.
  • Tier Pricing - This will allow you to charge more or less depending on the number of the measure that is being sold at one time.
• Click Save and New to enter a new inventory item, Save and Close to go back to the Inventory Management screen, Save to save your work but remain on this screen, or Close to go back to Inventory Management without saving.