Send equipment to patients and check that it comes back

Send monitoring kits, pumps and other equipment with a return label already in the box, record each device's serial number when it goes out, and check on the Returns screen that the same devices came back.

Set it up once

An administrator does this under Manage.

1. Return label in every box. Open Package Types and add the box the equipment travels in with New Custom Package, ticking Auto-include return label. The Auto return column on Package Types shows which boxes have it.
2. Serial numbers for the device. Open Content Catalog, find the item, for example "Remote monitoring kit", and turn on its switch in the Serial numbers column.
3. Make serial numbers required if you want every unit recorded: in Settings, turn on Require a serial number for every tracked device. Without it, a blank serial number is allowed.

Send the equipment

1. Start the shipment as usual and pick the package type. Include a return label is already on, with the return service under Return travels on. People without the right to make returns see a locked Return label included instead.
2. In the contents, pick the device. Set Units to how many are in the box.
3. Scan or type each device's serial number or asset tag in its box. Enter moves to the next box, and pasting a list fills them all.
4. Create the shipment and print both labels. The return label goes in the box.

A serial number identifies the device, not the patient, so it is never masked. The patient's own details are protected as described in Patient privacy settings.

Check that the devices came back

Open the Operations menu and choose Returns. Each return shows who is sending it back, from where, where it is now, how old it is and the site it belongs to. The Devices column shows the devices each return should bring back. A return from a patient shows the patient as initials, city, state and ZIP, with a Patient mark. A return the carrier has not scanned counts as Missing after 14 days by default (Settings, Count a return as missing after (days)). See Create a return label and check that it came back.

When the box arrives:

1. On the return's row, open More and choose Check devices. It appears only for returns that expect devices. If you are also marking it received, Mark received shows the same check.
2. Under Devices coming back, each unit shows the serial number it went out with under Expected.
3. Scan or type the serial number on each device under Came back, or choose Matches on a row. All match confirms every row at once. It appears only when the serial numbers that went out are known. Leave a box empty if you have not checked that device.
4. Choose Save check.

If a different device came back, it is recorded and the return shows Different device, so someone can follow up. Every check is recorded in the Audit Trail with who made it and when.