GS1 Healthcare

Tracking products across the healthcare supply chain eliminates counterfeit healthcare products, increases patient safety and complies with regulations.

Traceability in healthcare enables you to see the movement of prescription drugs or medical devices across the supply chain. You can trace backwards to identify the history of the transfers and locations of a product, from the point of manufacture onwards. And you can track forwards to see the intended route of the product towards the point of care.

Healthcare supply chain integrity

EPCIS is a GS1 standard which enables trading partners to share information about the movements and whereabouts of products and assets through the supply chain based on four types of events:

WHAT – products are impacted?

WHEN – did this time-stamped event occur?

WHERE – was the product, where is it now?

WHY – was this observed, which process step?

GS1 Healthcare and GS1 standards

GS1 Healthcare is a global, voluntary user community bringing together all healthcare supply chain stakeholders; manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, solution providers, regulatory bodies and industry associations. GS1 Healthcare members include over 70 leading healthcare organizations worldwide.

GS1 standards are used by healthcare organizations of all sizes, representing all parts of the supply chain, to help improve patient safety and enable supply chain accuracy and efficiency. These standards are:

 ·        Global – GS1 standards ensure globally unique identification and enable cross-border compatibility of identification.

 ·        Robust – Today, in various sectors, over 6 billion transactions per day are enabled by GS1 standards, demonstrating robustness.

 ·        Multi-sector – Using the same standard to identify and trace healthcare and non-healthcare items  ensures compatibility for healthcare stakeholders sourcing a wide variety of items.

 ·        User-generated – GS1 standards are built and maintained collaboratively by volunteers from across the world representing every part of the supply chain.

 ·        Scalable – GS1 standards meet the needs of a small rural hospital as well as a multi-national supplier.

The 10-step guide for healthcare providers to implement GS1 standards

To ensure successful implementation of GS1 standards in clinical or business processes, the following high level implementation steps are recommended:

1.     Select the clinical or business process where GS1 standards provide benefit

2.     Analyse the current and future desired situation, then build the business case

3.     Establish a working structure

4.     Use a project methodology

5.     Develop technical solutions and undertake as-is state measures

6.     Execute training and create documentation

7.     Complete first stage implementation

8.     Deploy new standards-based processes

9.     Evaluate

10.  Monitor, refine and expand

Consult withUs for deep understanding of your Healthcare requirements

Why GS1 standards for healthcare providers?

Healthcare providers seek to ensure high quality care for their patients. Doing so is also an expectation of professional standards of practice. However, complex clinical and business processes, time constraints, and multiple demands often pose challenges that may inadvertently contribute to risk.

This means healthcare providers are becoming more and more aware that implementation of GS1 standards, as a foundational part of clinical or business processes, provide a range of organisational benefits. GS1 standards help to improve patient safety, allow caregivers more time with patients and drive business efficiency, effectiveness and cost reduction.

GS1 standards are being used by an increasing number of suppliers, both for medicinal products and medical devices, meaning healthcare providers can now take the opportunity to review their processes and IT systems to see how and where the use of these global standards provide benefit.