Recommended equipment

Recommended equipment

TrackDME works with whatever labels and scanner you already have, but two pieces of hardware make a real difference for DME teams. You do not need anything fancy, just gear that survives the warehouse and keeps scanning fast. Here is what we recommend and why.

Metal asset labels

Metal asset labels (McAuley Labels). These are durable metal barcode labels built for medical equipment. They are scratch and waterproof, and you can have them custom printed with your asset numbers or as sequential barcodes. Pricing runs roughly $0.50 to $1.50 per label depending on quantity.

• Buy on Amazon

Why metal. Your gear gets wiped down constantly, and paper or polyester labels peel, smear, and fall off after a few cleaning cycles. A barcode you cannot scan is a unit you have to track by hand. Metal outlasts the disinfectant, so the label that goes on the unit on day one is still readable years later. When you order, request your asset numbers as the barcode value so each label matches the Barcode you enter when you add the unit.

Need a refresher on what goes where? See Label and add your units.

Wireless barcode scanner

Wireless barcode scanner (Tera). This is a Bluetooth handheld that pairs with a phone, tablet, or laptop. It acts like a keyboard: point it at a barcode, pull the trigger, and it types the barcode straight into whatever field is focused. Pricing runs roughly $35 to $50.

• Buy on Amazon

Why a scanner. Typing barcodes by hand is slow and easy to get wrong, especially on a long check-in line at the end of a route. A scanner makes each unit a single trigger pull, which is fast enough that staff actually use the workflow instead of working around it. Pair the scanner with your device, open the Scan page, and you can rip through a truckload of returns in minutes.

With the right mode set, the scanner can auto check units in or jump straight to the checkout form for each scan. See The scan loop for how the scan modes work.

Putting it together

Metal labels on every unit plus a Bluetooth scanner is the setup most TrackDME teams settle on. The labels survive the wipe-downs, and the scanner keeps check-in and check-out quick. That combination is what turns daily tracking from a chore into a habit.

Related

Label and add your units and The scan loop.