Inventory and Supply Management
Control the flow
Inventory management balances availability against waste. Know perpetual inventory, par levels, min/max ordering, ABC classification, and cycle counting. Rotate stock first-expired, first-out (FEFO), which is stricter than first-in, first-out, and pull short-dated items forward. Segregate expired, recalled, and damaged stock and never return it to the shelf.
Controlled substances
Take a biennial inventory every two years, with an exact count for Schedule II and an estimated count permitted for Schedules III–V. Order Schedule II with DEA Form 222 or CSOS; use Form 41 for disposal or transfer and Form 106 for theft or significant loss. Registration renews every three years. Reverse distributors handle expired controlled stock.
Recalls and temperature
Class I recalls involve a reasonable probability of serious harm or death, Class II temporary or reversible harm, and Class III unlikely harm. Quarantine immediately, document, and notify patients who received recalled product when instructed. Store room-temperature drugs at 20–25 degrees C, refrigerated drugs at 2–8 degrees C, and frozen drugs at −25 to −10 degrees C, logging temperatures and acting on excursions.
Traps
- Using FIFO when FEFO is required.
- Reversing Class I and Class III severity.
- Estimating a Schedule II count.
- Returning a recalled product to stock because the lot looks fine.
- Ignoring an out-of-range temperature log.
Worked example
A wholesaler ships a lot with six months of dating while the shelf holds a lot with four months remaining. Under FEFO the four-month lot is dispensed first, even though it arrived later.
Rule of thumb: count, document, and segregate-if stock is expired, recalled, or unaccounted for, it leaves active inventory immediately.