About Medexis

Single point of data-entry

Health commodity data is only entered once in Medexis. Product features such as batch information, expiry dates, prices, program and donor are only entered once. This will typically be done at the receiving point of the national storage and distribution system, which could be the Central Medical Store or at a 3PL provider facility.

Any data needed at intermediate storage levels and/or at health facility level will be systematically made available at the next level facility (destination facility) through the Medexis platform. The Advance Shipment Notification (ASN) ensures that all consignment information is electronically available at the destination facility prior to the consignment’s arrival. The actual receiving is reduced to validation and put-away only.

Health professional centered

Medexis believes in data registration at the source, where the product is received, transferred or handed over the care-giver or the patient for use. Medexis functionality has been designed from the perspective of the health professional, making the use joyful and effortless at the health service delivery point.

Via the Medexis APP the health facility professional is informed on requisition approval status, and order progress at the supplying warehouse. Consignment (=a packed order) is shared prior to its arrival. The health professional is informed through various reports available in the APP and will receive notifications on aspects that require immediate attention, i.e. to avoid stock-out or expiry.

Integrated & holistic approach

National storage & distribution systems are often handled by disconnected inventory management systems either manual/paper-based or stand-alone software. Medexis is holistic; all levels of the storage and distribution system are combined in one environment, offering the specific functionality and features needed at each level. Having the logistic data of all levels combined in one system enables oversight reporting at geographic levels (national/regional etc). Tracking the whereabouts of a specific batch, or shelf live status. Medexis can be used from central level to the smallest clinic at the bottom of the health pyramid.

Where national storage and distribution consists of multiple disease specific vertical systems, it is mostly more complex. Medexis can handle multiple parallel/vertical systems on one platform. Bringing the program specific data flows and periodic reporting systems together in one integrated logistics management information system is good starting point for further integration. In the long run improving the sustainability of government financed national storage and distribution system.

The integrated and holistic approach results in supervisory staff, i.e. district health team, having oversight-access to all facilities in their district, supporting them in the execution of their responsibilities.

Paradigm shift from reporting to recording

Conventional LMIS systems, and this is not limited to paper-based systems only, are taking care of REPORTING. Often, these systems have been developed to support the periodic reporting and ordering cycle of health facilities. Yet, these LMIS systems will not incorporate the RECORDING of the ongoing transactions, such as arrival of new stock at the health facility or the ongoing registration of dispensed products.

In other words, once the end of the reporting period approaches, health facility staff still needs several days to collect all necessary data from various points of their facilities, where the data recording happens manually or in stand-alone inventory management applications. Gathered data is then to be manually processed and compiled into data, necessary for the completion of the LMIS report itself. A time consuming and error-prone operation.

The paradigm shift introduced with Medexis is the registration and control of the data RECORDING directly in an electronic environment and as a result the REPORTING responsibilities of the health facility staff are automated. As a result, availability of detailed and aggregated inventory & consumption information is not only limited to periodic intervals (typically 4 - 6 times a year), but providing (near-)real time stock status insights across all levels of the storage and distribution system. Under Medexis, staff will be recording their operational data directly in the system using the Android APP as and when it happens, thereby eliminating the necessity of stressful and time-consuming reporting activities.

Interoperability

Medexis runs on an open-standard database and offers much flexibility for adding fields, where necessary. Application Programming Interfaces (API) are used to exchange data with Medexis’ WEB application and the Medexis’ APP. Other APIs can be configured to seamlessly exchange data with other applications, such as DHIS2, ERP or WMS systems operated at central or regional level warehouses. Similarly, it is possible to exchange data with Data Warehouse applications for business intelligence and performance management objectives.