Inventory management in ImmsBC – BC Pharmacy Association

Pharmacies are required to maintain accurate inventory tracking on ImmsBC which impacts vaccine orders, allocations, and vaccination administration documentation and payment.

Overview of the Health Connect – Supply Console

Inventory is managed exclusively through each pharmacy's Health Connect - Supply Location. On the Classic/Imms Admin portal, Supply Location is within the Supply Console app. For the Community/Clerks & Clinicians Portal, Supply Location is accessible from the top banner.How to navigate to Health Connect - Supply Console using the ImmsBC Classic portal for Admin users:

Click on the App Launcher (nine dots) at the top left of the page.
Click on the Health Connect - Supply Console app.
Click on the drop-down arrow next to the name of the new page to display all the navigation items.
Click on Supply Location.

In the Supply Locations view, you will need to navigate to your specific Supply Location by using the following steps:

5. Enter the name of your pharmacy in the Search field and press Enter. Address and location are not searchable from this view, you can only select the name of your clinic.

6. Click on the Clinic Name and your Supply Location will display.

ImmsBC Inventory mgt cont.png

ImmsBC Inventory mgt cont2.PNG

How to navigate to Health Connect - Supply Locations using the ImmsBC Community Portal for Clinician/Clerk level users:

Click on the Supply Locations tab on the top of your screen, located in the banner.
The Supply Locations page will display the pinned list, or Recently Viewed list if there is no pin. To change the default, select a list view from the drop-down arrow.
Click on the pin to save the list view as your default page when you select the Supply Locations tab.
Your selected list view, if pinned, will display as “Pinned List”

Confirming an Incoming Shipment

To accept an incoming transfer, pharmacies should go to their ImmsBC Supply Location, select Transactions then Shipped Transactions (Incoming), then click Confirm transfer to confirm each shipment individually (1).

If you have been notified by BCPhA about your confirmed order, you will see it in the Transactions tab. Only confirm the transfer when the doses arrive in your pharmacy physically and are put in your fridge. Please note, orders are placed through the BCPhA Order form and not through ImmsBC.

Pharmacies should avoid using ImmsBC “Receive Supplies” function for the regular receipt of vaccine shipments. Please note: pharmacies providing off-site vaccination clinics at Long Term Care or Assisted Living facilities can use the “Receive Supplies” function to add the HA-provided supplies to their inventory.

If you have physically received a shipment and do not yet see the incoming transfer on ImmsBC, submit an inventory remediation form here.

Missing Inventory Transfers or transfer details incorrect in ImmsBC

Accurate inventory management is essential. Errors will effect your ability to record vaccine administration and subsequently impact the vaccine record and/or payment.

The BCPhA team relies on information provided by your pharmacy distributor to enter the inventory transfer on ImmsBC. We receive this information from your distributor typically the day after your delivery or on the day of your delivery. Therefore, your transfer usually will not be on ImmsBC when you receive the vaccines, however will appear either later that day or by the early afternoon of the next business day.

It is important to ensure both the quantity and lot number visible in ImmsBC match the physical item received. If the lot number or quantity does not match your physical shipment, a stock remediation form will need to be submitted as soon as possible.

Inter-clinic Pharmacy Transfers

From time to time, pharmacies may need to transfer stock to one another. The purpose of this guide is to outline the necessary steps to complete the transfer in ImmsBC, using the example of Pharmacy A (sending the stock), and Pharmacy B (accepting the stock transfer).

Steps – Pharmacy Initiating the Transfer (Example “Pharmacy A”), part one:

Navigate to the Supply Location for your pharmacy (Ex. Pharmacy A).
From the Supply Location – Related Items screen, navigate to the Supply Container section.
In the Supply Container, select the appropriate vaccine to transfer by clicking the checkbox to the left of the line item.
Confirm you have selected the correct trade name, lot number, and expiry date of the stock you wish to transfer.
With the checkbox selected, click the Transfer button.
From the Transfer screen, enter the number of doses you wish to transfer.
Type the name of the Supply Location of the pharmacy where you would like to transfer the supplies (Ex. Pharmacy B).
Click Transfer to complete the transfer. The inventory in the Supply Container will be reduced by the number of doses transferred out.
Optional Step: To validate that the transfer has been initiated, navigate to the Transactions tab, and look for your transfer in the “Shipped Transactions – Outgoing” section.

Steps – Pharmacy Accepting the Transfer (Example “Pharmacy B”), part two:

Navigate to the Supply Location for your pharmacy (Ex. Pharmacy B)
From the Supply Location – Transactions screen, navigate to the Shipped Transaction – Incoming section.
Select the appropriate transaction from the “Shipped Transactions – Incoming” section.
Accept the transfer by clicking the checkbox to the left of the line item.
Click the Confirm Transfer button.
Select the appropriate Supply Distribution container from the drop-down list (i.e., Operational Fridge).
Click Confirm Transaction to complete the transfer. The accepted vaccine inventory will now appear in the Related Items tab, in a Supply Container. (See screenshot above, Confirming an Incoming Shipment.)

Recording Wastage and Adjusting Quantities

Accurate inventory management is essential. Errors will affect your ability to record vaccine administrations and subsequently impact vaccine records, payments and eligibility for top-ups.

Once you have located your list of Supply Items, follow the steps below to record wastage in either version of ImmsBC:

Find the Supply Item you would like to record the wastage against.
Click on the drop-down arrow next to Last Modified Date and click on Wastage.
Validate the Product, Lot number and Expiry Date.
Enter the Quantity or Number of Doses to record as wastage. The Dose Conversion Factor is applied so you can enter either amount. You will not be able to enter a number that has more than 16 digits before the decimal point in the Quantity or Doses fields. You will be able to enter doses with up to two decimal places, so that you can record partial doses.
Select the Reason for the wastage (mandatory field) and add Comments.
Click Wastage.
After clicking Wastage, you will be redirected to the Supply Location view, where you will see that the Remaining Doses and Remaining Quantity of vaccine supplies have been adjusted to account for the wastage logged.
Click the Related tab in the Supply Location to view the full record.

Making an Adjustment to a Supply

If you need to adjust the number of doses available in a single supply item, you can do so within the Related Items tab of your Supply Location. The steps outlined below apply to both versions of ImmsBC.

Click on the drop-down arrow on the right of the screen, in line with the supply item that you
would like to adjust.
Select Adjustment, from the drop-down list. A pop-up box will then appear.

For more detailed instructions please see:

How to Manage Inventory in ImmsBC for Pharmacies: ImmsBC User Guide (as of Nov. 16, 2022)
How to Record Wastage and Make Adjustments to Vaccine Supplies in ImmsBC (March 30, 2023)

Other Inventory FAQs

Click here for additional Inventory FAQs