Bin Locations in FSM going to EPIC

Monica McGarvey

Hi Everyone,

We currently send our OR locations to Clinical Bridge, which then passes the item data to EPIC. Clinical Bridge is configured to first check the PreferredBin in the Item Location; if that's empty, it looks at a user field we created called EPIC Bin Location. This approach works because we don’t need to track every item and we needed a way to send data for preference cards.

One of our facilities has reached out with a request for a process that would allow us to send multiple bin locations to EPIC. They’re splitting their OR locations due to new rooms being built for specific surgical specialties. The goal is for services using OR 1 to pick items from OR 1 and services using OR 2 to pick from OR 2.

Our last resort would be creating new ItemLocation records, but that would increase job run times, system load, and complicate location maintenance.

Does anyone know of a process or workaround that would allow us to achieve this in a way that doesn’t involve adding more ItemLocations? I’m not familiar with EPIC, so I’m unsure if there's an existing feature or solution there, but I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions or ideas!

Thank you all in advance!

Jen_Underwood

Hi Monica,

One thing to consider is how replenishment will work for OR1 and OR2 once they’re split. In Epic, I would expect a separate BAL record to be created for each OR location. That way, each physical location can have its own supply and pick logic.

From the Clinical Bridge side, you could control which items flow to each BAL by using the mapping document. This would allow you to send the correct bin data for OR1 and OR2 without creating additional ItemLocation records in your source system. Essentially, Clinical Bridge becomes the point where you define which Epic location gets which bin assignments.

This approach should keep your ItemLocation count stable while still supporting the new OR setup. Does that sound like it would meet the facility’s needs?

I would be happy to have a call with you to discuss this further if you would like.

Thank you

Jen