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Solution Architecture - What software products will operationalize these workflows within the context of the enterprise infrastructure?

Enterprise Architecture

The Enterprise Architecture identifies the pervasive digital infrastructure that the system will need.

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  • Changes to diagram include:
    • Infrastructure
      • Addition of a Product Registry
      • Addition of Logistics Management Information System (LMIS)
    • Point of Service
      • Category
        • Warehouse Management System (WMS)
        • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System
      • Hospital/Clinic/Community
        • Inventory Control System
        • Dispensing System (name? Is this the EMR or does it use the patient registry or insurance system?)
        • Community-Level Systems (TBD - for Community Health Worker health care encounters outside the facility setting?)
      • Shipping/Third Party Logisticians (3PL)

Descriptions

This section contains a textual description of each item added to the diagram above:

  • Product Registry - The product registry is responsible for standardizing and serving a list of commodities and items that are available within the system. At minimum, it provides a list of available commodities that are available for distribution, consumption and disbursement within the system. In more advanced cases, the product registry is able to serve detailed information on each item that is available within the system including lot and serial number information collected as GTIN and SGTINs. The information in the product registry supports numerous transactions in the health, supply chain and reporting workflows.
  • Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) - The LMIS is responsible for storing and serving inventory reports, consumption reports and shipment notifications. This provides visibility into the current inventory levels at each location, their usage over time, anticipated movements throughout the system and is a key system in supply chain decision support.
  • Warehouse Management System (WMS) - The warehouse management system is a point of service system that is used at large warehouses to track the products that are available for order, pick, pack and shipping. WMS are different from inventory control systems because they handle much larger product volumes than expected at the end nodes in the system.
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System - The enterprise resource planning system is a point of service system that is responsible for planning the supply chain needs over a period of time. ERP systems often operate at large national or sub-national warehouses where they help in managing the business functions of these larger warehouses.  ERP systems are often linked with WMS at large warehouses. ERPs systems often have a financial tracking component (purchase orders, accounts receivable/payable, financial accounts and ledgers).
  • Inventory Control System - The inventory control system is a point of service system that is run at the location where commodities are dispensed to the patient populations. These systems often function within a dispensary, keep track of the individual transactions and support compiling inventory reports and consumption reports. These systems are often the final destination for commodities before they are distributed to the patient. 
  • Shipping/Third Party Logisticians (3PL) - Third party logistics companies is a catch all term for point of service organizations that are responsible for transporting commodities between points in the supply chain. These operators receive notification of a shipment that needs to be picked up, they arrange the transportation, pick the shipment and deliver it the the appropriate place. The recipient is often responsible for verifying the shipment once received.

Functional Architecture

The functional architecture focuses on identifying the functions required in the supply chain as well as the workflows that deliver those functions.

Functions

  • Master Data Management of Products for the system
    • Commodity level - What types of products should be available?
    • Item Level - Of those commodities, which specific items are available?
      • Trade name / ID (e.g. GTIN)
      • Expiration Date
      • Lot/Batch
      • Serial Numbers (e.g. SGTIN)
  • Validate that a product in the system is not sub-standard (e.g. not approved or expired) or falsified (isn't what it claims to be)
  • Report Inventory Status Across the Network
    • (Inventory is a snapshot at a point in time)
    • Receive Inventory Reports from Point of Service Systems
    • Provide this information to decision makers
  • Report Stocking Location Status
    • Asset Management/Availability of store room equipment (e.g. CCE)
    • Report on available volume (e.g. volume of vaccines in fridge / total storage volume)
    • Alerts on functional status of store room equipment (e.g. CCE temperature, power, etc)
  • Report Consumption Across the Network
    • (Consumption is a snapshot of disbursements and wastage over a period of time)
    • Receive Consumption Reports
    • Provide this information to decision makers
  • Track & Trace
    • Act as a clearinghouse for 3PL Pick-up Planning
    • Receive and Forward Advanced Shipment Notifications from Source to Recipient
    • Receive Proof of Delivery

Out of Scope Functions

  • Disbursement level transactions at the point of service health facility

Workflows

This section defines high level workflows that should be considered within this functional architecture.

  • General Point of Service to HIE Workflows - These workflows initiate from the Point of Service application to interact with the HIE.
    • Query by Commodity Name/Type/Identifier
      • Description: Query the product registry by the Commodity Name, Type or Identifier to get a description of the commodity
    • Query by GTIN
      • Description: Query the product registry by the GTIN to get a description of the product
    • Query by SGTIN
      • Description: Query the product registry by the SGTIN to get a detailed description of the product
    • Submit Inventory Report
      • Description: Submit a standardized inventory report from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry
    • Query Inventory Report by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of inventory reports by location
    • Submit Consumption Report
      • Description: Submit a standardized consumption report from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry
    • Query Consumption Report by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of consumption reports by location
    • Submit 3PL Pick-up Request
      • Description: Submit a standardized shipment pick-up request from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry
    • Query 3PL Pick-up Request by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of shipment pick-up requests by location
    • Submit 3PL Picked Up Action
      • Description: Submit a standardized shipment pick-up action from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry notifying that the requested shipment was picked up
    • Query 3PL Picked Up Actions by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of shipment pick-up actions by location
    • Submit Advanced Shipment Notification
      • Description: Submit a standardized advanced shipment notification from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry
    • Query Advanced Shipment Notification by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of advanced shipment notifications by location
    • Submit Proof of Delivery by Location
      • Description: Submit a standardized proof of delivery from the point of service system to the Supply Chain Management Registry
    • Query Proofs of Delivery by Location
      • Description: Query the Supply Chain Management Registry for a list of proofs of delivery by location
  • Health Related Point of Service Workflows
    • Product Verification (ensuring product is not sub-standard or falsified)
      • Immunization
        • Description: Query the HIE to identify if the immunization that has been received is valid before the immunization event takes place. If invalid, support the ability to notify officials.
      • General Medicine
        • Description: Query the HIE to identify if the medication that has been received is valid before the immunization event takes place. If invalid, support the ability to notify officials.
      • Consumer facing
        • Description: (Just an idea) Provide a national product verification service that can be accessed by point of sale systems or consumers who have received a medication at a chemist. Allow the consumer to notify officials if the product is counterfeit or invalid.
    • Recall Products - Central Authority to Point of Service
      • Identify the current inventory of that product throughout the system and check against global recall list
        • Description: Support the ability to query all products that are available in the system and check that against a global recall list.
      • Identify and estimate the recall
        • Description: Support the ability to identify the location of all recalled items within the network once a recalled item has been identified and estimate the response required.
      • Contact the organizations
        • Description: Provide a report that shows the list of organizations that need to be contacted about the recalled product so managers can contact those organizations.
      • Arrange Shipment or Destruction of the item
        • Description: Support the ability to verify that the recalled items were destroyed or shipped back to a central location.

Solution Architecture

This section defines the software products that can deliver the Enterprise and Functional Architectures cited above.

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