Executive summary. A good receiving process tells staff what arrived, connects it to the supplier’s documentation, and gets exceptions moving the same day.
Definition
Receiving is the documented handoff in which a pharmacy or other dispenser accepts product and reviews the information that accompanies it.
Match the shipment to the record
Start with the practical facts: supplier, order or invoice, receiving date, product, quantity, and package identifiers where they apply. Another team member should be able to read the record without asking you what happened.
When information is missing or does not match, keep the issue visible instead of closing the receipt as ordinary. A clear exception record is what gets the right trading partner involved.
Decide what happens next
Ordinary receipts move into the normal workflow once the required information is present and understandable. A discrepancy needs an owner, a reason, and a next review date.
Separate a product hold from a request for clarification. Staff need to know whether they can use the product while the question is open.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delivery ticket enough by itself?
It may be one useful record. The organization still needs to establish that the information required for that transaction is available and connected to the product received.
Referenced standards and further reading
- FDA: Drug Supply Chain Security Act ↗U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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