Barcode Supplement

For Case Tracking, Technician Productivity

WHAT IS BARCODING?

Barcoding has become the predominant automatic identification technology and is principally used for item tracking, inventory control, monitoring work-in-progress, and other areas where accuracy and timeliness of information is critical.

Barcodes are a pattern of narrow and wide bars and spaces that record digits and letters to identify and item of information. The way the bars and spaces are arranged is called a symbology, of which there are several highly used standards. The two most common ones here in the United States are the Universal Product Code (UPC) used in many wholesale and retail industries and the 3 of 9, also called Code 39, that is required by U.S. government contracts and highly used in manufacturing and distribution applications.

Barcodes are printed on or affixed to documents and products. Then, at one or more points in the movement of an item, its barcode is scanned with a "reader", which can be one of a number of types of devices...these can be handheld or standing, portable or fixed. This process takes the place of typed or keyed entry into the computer and is both faster and more accurate.

HOW CAN IT BE USED IN A DENTAL LABORATORY?

In the dental laboratory, barcodes can produce more accurate information at a lower cost in several areas:

• Case-tracking to determine work-in-progress and location
• Account identification on return prescriptions and/or quality control documents
• Tracking technician productivity and responsibility
• Inventory control

WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED?

Essentially, many of the components needed for implementing barcodes are already part of the DentaLab/PC II systems. You will need a printer capable of printing bar codes in the Windows 98 or NT environment.

Because task centers and items can include alphabetic characters, we have chosen Code 39 barcodes.

To read the barcodes, you can choose the wedge devices that are placed between the keyboard and system or portable hand-held devices.

Within our user group, barcodes have primarily been used for case tracking and technician productivity. This involved the printing of barcodes on the casework tickets and use of either technician badges or sheets with barcodes. Upon completion of each item within the case, the barcodes are wanded. The system automatically places a date and time stamp on each transaction and updates the case tracking, technician and master schedule files.

Should the case units change in the laboratory, these can be overridden. You then have an accurate accounting of the completion times and locations of the case within the lab and the work accomplished by each technician. As tasks are completed, these are reflected in the master schedule. The schedule will more accurately reflect when the work is accomplished, rather than waiting until the invoice/billing point to mark it completed.

When a doctor's office calls to check on a case, the screen will provide the full list of case items and a list of the completed items, giving the technician code, date and time of completion.

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