ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 23, 2009 – Lawson Software (Nasdaq: LWSN) today announced a series of updates to the Lawson S3 Supply Chain Management suite that will help healthcare organizations adopt GS1 industry standards. The GS1 organization, formerly known as the Uniform Code Council, is the leading global standards organization for the healthcare industry. GS1 standards for healthcare focus on location identification and product identification standards for a wide range of items in a healthcare organization’s supply chain. By applying data standards in the supply chain, healthcare organizations can reduce supply costs, eliminate ordering and procurement errors, improve patient care and safety, and help ensure critical supplies and resources are available at the point of care.
A lack of industry-wide product identification standards has hampered the healthcare industry’s ability to improve supply chain efficiency and accuracy. Inconsistent data may lead to a wide range of challenges, from supply outages to needless duplicate supply orders. As a product moves through the supply chain, it may be given multiple identifiers, leading to confusion and a greater chance of errors. By using standardized product identification codes, healthcare organizations can more accurately locate and identify supplies as they are ordered, received, distributed and utilized throughout the organization.
The updates to version 9.0.1 of the Lawson S3 Supply Chain Management suite make it easier for a healthcare organization to adopt GS1 standards by simplifying management of “item master” files with consistent product identification numbers. This is achieved through the use of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) and supporting standard location and account identifiers using the Global Location Number (GLN). This data will be used consistently, shared among healthcare providers, group purchasing organizations and suppliers that have adopted GS1 standards.
