When inputting new supplies or configuring existing supply codes it is important to configure the options properly.  Lets go through an example on how to configure the supply units and their respective conversion units.

Supply Units

Ordered from the vendor by the - This item will appear only on the Supply Inventory screen as the input units for the supply.
Stocked by the - These units will appear two places, in supply requisitions and in new visits/assessments input in Point of Care.  The main goal of this item is to aid the supply coordinator in conveying how the quantities should be input.  For example, if diapers are being added to a visit in Point of Care and the stocked by the units are still set at EACH, it could be confusing on what to input - packs of diapers or individual diapers?  To reduce this confusion, this field can be used to add a better description to the units desired.  In this example, this supply is stocked by the PACK.
Billed by the - This is the smallest units that the supply will be converted to, which represents the actual billing units.

Supply Conversion Factors

The supply conversion factors are used to convert the supplies in between the different units when needed.  Here are a list of places that these conversion factors are used:

1. In the Supply Inventory screen, supplies are input using the Ordering units and are converted to the stocking units by multiplying the Order conversion factor.  In this example, 4 cases input in the supply inventory screen would put 20 Packs into the current inventory.
2. In the Approve Supply Requisitions screen, the Stocking units are converted into billing units.  So, in this example, if a requisition comes in with a quantity of 10 Packs, they will be converted into 20 billing units.
3. In the Supply import screen, the Stocking units are converted into billing units.  So, in this example, if a visit with supplies is imported with a quantity of 7 Packs, they will be converted into 14 billing units.
   

Supply Costs and Prices

Order Cost is used only on the Supply Inventory screen to specify a cost of items from the Vendor.  The next item is the cost of the billing units.  This field is only used on supply cost reports that are run at the end of the year.  The Price is the actual dollar amount the patient will be charged for using on billing unit of the supply.  The Delete button will allow you to delete a price that was added by mistake - note that you will not receive a warning, once you click on the Delete button it will get rid of the highlighted entry.  

Summary

Depending on the input accuracy of requisitions and supplies in visits, these factors may not need to be changed.  The risk that is run is billing for a smaller amount than was actually used.  In the case of tape being billed to Medicaid by the square inch, this can be particularly confusing to input without these items filled in.  To reduce confusion and improve accuracy, it is recommended that these items be filled in after an inventory is taken.