Keeping track of food inventory in hospital settings is vital to maintaining product quality and safety as well as to accurately determine inventory value. Controlling inventory will:
- Reduce spoilage risks
- Reduce the need for prolonged storage
- Reduce over ordering
- Reduce overall costs
- Reduce possible theft
Physical inventory requires an actual periodic count, usually daily. Perishable foods can be kept on a physical inventory because they are generally consumed shortly after they are delivered to the food services team. Smaller hospitals and health care facilities can sometimes rely on a physical inventory alone if food turnover is rapid and smaller amounts of inventory are required. Perpetual inventories update inventory accounts after each order is placed. Inventory quantities are updated continuously with the use of software and must be kept up-to-date to coincide with physical inventories. Maintaining inventory perpetually allows discrepancies to be seen faster and prevents running out of essential items. If inventories don’t match between physical and perpetual inventories, a problem exists. It could be as simple as staff not recording waste as it occurs, or as serious as theft.
To set up a perpetual inventory, the foodservice staff first needs to complete a physical inventory. Then the data needs to be entered into a computer system. As deliveries are received, and meals are delivered to patients, the software will then track changes and update inventory. Keeping a good perpetual inventory will help prevent shortages and help maintain needed stock as well as keep track of trends of the types of foods patients are asking for and things that are going to waste.
Vision’s approach is to accommodate maximum system processing/rules to provide long term efficiencies in inventory systems resulting in the elimination of the manual process, errors and interpretations of hospital staff.
Vision Software can help save time and money by automating the inventory process.
The Inventory Control system accommodates both conventional and cook-to-inventory production methods. Bar-coded inventory tracking methods are available, as are interfaces to computerized materials handling equipment and ordering with your prime vendors. You can use bar code readers to reduce the time required to track inventory items. Systems can keep tract of ordering, receiving and storage and link the systems to patient’s dietary needs and preferences. Vision’s inventory software takes into account recipes and ingredients while managing inventory levels and food ordering schedules. Vision does all entry data for menus, recipes, and inventory as well as ongoing support and training to hospital staff. Training for on-site administrators is done to ensure your success and is a part of Vision’s approach to being the leading provider of healthcare web-based foodservice solutions in the world.
Inventory control is vital to the food service preparation and directly relate to food costs and managing inventories of food while reducing waste. Vision Software is a vendor of choice because of its unrivaled track record in supporting cost-effective food service management operations, its innovations in clinical nutrition management technologies, and its pioneering work in room service and automated menu systems.