Information Systems:Electronic Ordering

Background

There are two primary ways of ordering from uniPHARM: Web Orders, and POS Orders. This section discusses the latter. POS systems are proprietary software (with complementing hardware, in some cases) that communicate with uniPHARM to place orders and, in some cases, retrieve invoices. Most POS systems communicate via FTP, while some send orders via email. For the store, a POS system is a way to do inventory management, as quantities can be managed for each product and thus automated ordering can be set up based on levels of stock. While Web Orders allows for convenient ordering, POS systems are becoming more and more popular for stores that want better control and insight into their inventory.

Setup Instructions

Upon acquiring a POS/PMS system, either the POS vendor or the store will request for credentials to be able to connect their software to our system.

Create folders on the Mail server

Using remote desktop or Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\FTPOrders folder on Mail. Create a folder for the store account number. Within this folder, create another folder with the name of the POS ('assystpos', 'kroll', 'ranger', etc.).

For example, Northview Pharmacy (12345) uses 2 systems (one for front store and one for pharmacy management):

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\

C:\FTPOrders\12345\kroll\

Within these folders, invoices, orders and orders\archive need to be created. The final hierarchy is as follows:

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\invoices

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\orders

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\orders\archive

Generate Serv-U account

Make an account for the store on the Serv-U FTP server. When creating the account, the user login ID should be the store/customer number. A random password is automatically generated. Important: These details need to be logged into the spread sheet titled "FTP Order Accounts", as once the password is created, it cannot be retrieved (you can only generate another password).

POS Systems used by uniPHARM customers

This section details previous experiences and general notes about the various POS and PMS systems that interact with uniPHARM. With the exception of WinRx, on-site I.T. staff have no access to the software, so the following information is the result of over-the-phone troubleshooting experience and dealing with the technical support departments of these companies.

Telus AssystRx/AssystPOS (formerly Tricomp)

• There are stretches of time where some stores place orders that never reach our system. They may or may not get an order confirmation (most of the time they do not), but there is also no seeming error on their end, leading to the frustrating experience of not receiving an expected delivery the next day. To date, the exact cause of this is unknown, but it is suspected that the Pharmanet connection is the culprit. See Pharmanet for explanation

Pharmacy Management Systems (PMS)

--norwinu (talk) 10:17, 13 July 2015 (PDT) To my limited understanding, a PMS has the functionality of a POS, in that it is able to place orders from uniPHARM, but it also manages the dispensing and inventory of pharmaceuticals.