External Batch Stock

External Batch Stock refers to pharmacy items that cannot be produced in-house due to equipment, expertise, or regulatory constraints. These items are purchased in batches from external suppliers. Unlike Internal Batch Stock, these items may not include official batch numbers, printed expiry dates, or full manufacturing documentation.

Compound Direct makes managing external batch stock simple and secure. Each record stores all batch information in one place, including stock levels, expiry dates, supplier and lot details, and allocation preferences. Pharmacists can approve batches before use, monitor inventory and review usage history, ensuring full traceability, compliance, and efficient dispensing.

Here's what you can do with external batch stock:

• Add, create, edit, and approve external batches in Compound Direct while tracking supplier information, lot numbers, and expiry dates.
• Monitor stock levels, set low stock and expiry alerts, review usage history, and efficiently allocate batches to ensure traceability, compliance, and safe dispensing.
• Follow clear, step-by-step procedures for external batch stock management and allocation.

With Compound Direct, managing external batch stock becomes clear, organised, and safe. This guide walks you through the essential steps, from adding and approving batches to tracking stock levels and alerts, so your pharmacy can maintain full traceability and compliance. Follow the instructions below to get started with locating, creating, and managing external batches efficiently.

Finding an external batch stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Click on the 'Drugs & Batch Stock' button.
3. A list of items is shown under 'Drugs & Batch Stock' including their Stock on Hand and Days til Expiry.
   1. • LOW STOCK EXPIRING SOON or EXPIRED alerts will appear here when relevant.
4. To find your desired external batch stock, you may either:
   1. Begin typing the name into the search bar and select the desired 'External Batch Stock' from the list.
   2. Identify each classification by its icon:
      1. External Batch Stock
      2. Internal Batch Stock
      3. Commercial Drug
   3. Find the name in the list. This can be simplified by clicking 'More Filters' drop-down menu:
      1. Click on the 'Tagged With' drop-down menu and select a tag from either 'Has Tag' or 'Without Tag' to apply to the search.
      2. Click 'Stock on hand', and tick 'check_box Low Stock' to display low-stock items.
      3. Click on the 'Supplier' drop-down menu and select a 'Supplier' from the list to apply to the search.
      4. Click on the 'Stock Type' and select 'External Batch Stock'.
      5. Click on the 'Schedule' drop-down menu and select a 'Schedule' from the list.
      6. Click 'Archival Status' and tick 'check_box Show Archived' to display archived batch stock in the list.
      7. Click on the 'Reset Filters' button to remove all filters applied.
5. Click the sell icon to create or select tags, which can then be applied to filter the list.
6. Click the 'Sort By' button and select whether to sort by 'Stock Name' (A–Z or Z–A) or by 'Date Created' (oldest first or newest first).
7. Hover over the batch stock name to see a summary of its 'History of Use' and select a time range: 'Week/Month/Quarter/Year/All' to view usage within the selected period. This graph is also displayed on the external batch stock record.
   • Add minimum stock on hand for each drug to highlight stock that drops past the required amount on hand.
8. Once found, click on the 'External Batch Stock' to view it.

Adding a new external batch stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Click on the 'New Batch Stock' button.
4. On the 'Add External Batch Stock' page, add a drug name, quantity, and form.
5. Add a description, then select a 'Schedule' and 'Labels' from the drop-down menus.
6. Enter a reference code (searchable code or internal identifier). You can use this code in the product search to quickly locate the corresponding commercial product.
7. Under 'Pricing', enter the external batch stock price, and tick 'check_box Charge tax for this item' if you want to apply tax to this item.
8. Enter the minimum stock on hand to indicate how many units should trigger a reorder.
9. Set the minimum days until expiry to indicate how many days before the stock expires should trigger a reorder.
10. Choose the Batch-Allocation preference to determine which batch is used first:
    1. 'radio_button_checked Use the batch that is first to expire'
    2. 'radio_button_unchecked Use the newest batch first'
    3. 'radio_button_unchecked Use the batch with the least quantity first'
11. Tick 'check_box Automatically allocate batches' to auto-allocate batches. Batches must be approved and open to enable auto-allocation.
12. Enter batch stock weight per unit to weigh stock during allocation using an average weight per unit. This can only be applied if auto-allocation is disabled.
13. Add appropriate tags to the batch stock to help manage inventory and communicate properties to other team members.
    • Tags are used to aid in searching and can also be used as a form of communication to other users. (e.g., indicating a batch stock is hazardous or in the fridge). To learn more about setting up tags, see: Tags user guide.
14. Click 'Save' to confirm changes.

Creating a batch for external stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Select the 'External Batch Stock' record to which you want to add a batch.
4. On the external batch stock record, click on the 'Create Batch' button.
5. Enter the batch quantity.
6. Select the 'Supplier' from the drop-down menu, and enter the brand.
7. Enter the lot/batch number and 'Expiry Date'.
8. In the 'Pricing' section, enter the quantity purchased and the purchase price. The cost per unit will be automatically calculated.
   1. An alert will appear when a cost price variance is detected, showing the average cost, current cost, and the variance.
9. Once all details are entered, click the 'Create' button.
10. Once created, you will be redirected to the 'Edit Stock Batch' page.
11. If the batch is ready for use, tick 'check_boxApproved for use'.
    1. The 'Inventory History' for the daily stock on hand for this batch will be displayed on this page.
12. You may upload supporting documents by clicking '+ Upload File' or by file_open dragging files into the space provided.
13. You may add a note for your team in the space provided at the bottom of the page.
14. Click 'Save' to confirm changes.
    1. If the batch is ready for use, click on the 'takeout_dining Open' button located at the top of the page.

Editing an external batch stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Select the 'External Batch Stock' you want to edit.
4. On the external batch stock record:
   1. Using the 'Collections' drop-down menu, add the formulation to any existing collection for easy identification when creating drafts.
   2. Under 'History', the history of use for the batch stock is shown, including an interactive graph which can be set at different time frames.
      1. Select a time range: 'Week/Month/Quarter/Year/All' to view usage within the selected period.
5. Click the 'create Edit' button, or press E on your keyboard to begin editing the batch stock.
6. Edit the batch stock particulars:
   1. Edit the name of the external batch stock.
   2. Edit quantity and form.
   3. Edit the description, 'Schedule', and any necessary 'Labels'.
   4. Edit reference code (searchable code or internal identifier).
   5. Edit the units and barcode.
7. Under 'Inventory', edit the 'Preferred Supplier', preferred quantity, and the purchase price for a single unit.
8. Under 'Pricing', edit the external batch stock price.
   1. Tick 'check_box Charge tax for this item' if you want to apply tax to this item.
9. Click the 'Add Price' button to add alternative pricing for when multiple packs of a product are dispensed to a patient.
   1. Input the number of packs, and per pack price. Click 'Show More' and place the name for the multi-pack price, then click 'Done'.
   2. Leave blank if no alternative pricing applies.
10. Under 'Alerts', edit the alerts for minimum stock on hand.
11. Edit the Batch-Allocation preference to determine which batch is used first:
    1. 'radio_button_checked Use the batch that is first to expire'
    2. 'radio_button_unchecked Use the newest batch first'
    3. 'radio_button_unchecked Use the batch with the least quantity first'
12. Tick 'check_box Automatically allocate batches' to auto-allocate batches. Batches must be approved and open to enable auto-allocation.
13. Edit batch stock weight per unit to weigh stock during allocation using an average weight per unit. This can only be applied if auto-allocation is disabled.
14. Edit or add appropriate tags to the batch stock to help manage inventory and communicate properties to other team members.
    • Tags are used to aid in searching and can also be used as a form of communication to other users. (e.g., indicating a batch stock is hazardous or in the fridge). To learn more about setting up tags, see: Tags user guide.
15. Edit a product image by clicking the file_open icon and upload an image that will be shown to customers when checking out via payment link.
16. Click 'Save' to confirm changes.

Editing a batch of an external stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Select the desired 'External Batch Stock'.
4. On the external batch record, select the 'Lot/Batch' you want to edit.
5. On the 'Edit Stock Batch' page, a stock batch cannot be edited once it has been approved for use.
   1. Scroll down to the 'Approval' section, then click 'Make Changes' or press E on your keyboard to make changes.
6. To edit the quantity, click the create icon to open the 'Adjust Stock Batch Quantity' modal.
   1. If the quantity is increased, enter a reason for the increase.
   2. If the quantity is reduced, select a 'Reason' from the drop-down menu and optionally add a comment for additional details.
   3. Once finished, click the 'Update Stock Batch' button to save your changes.
7. Edit the 'Supplier' and brand.
8. Edit the lot/batch no. and 'Expiry Date'.
9. Under 'Pricing', enter the quantity purchased and the purchase price. The cost per unit will be automatically calculated.
   1. An alert will appear when a cost price variance is detected, showing the average cost, current cost, and the variance.
10. Tick 'check_box Approved for use' if the batch is ready for use.
11. Review the 'Inventory History' graph to see daily stock on hand.
12. You may upload relevant documents by clicking the '+ Upload File' button or by file_open dragging files into the space provided.
13. You may add a note for your team in the space provided at the bottom of the page.
14. Click 'Save' to confirm changes.

Viewing external batch stock history, allocations, and patient usage

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Select the External Batch Stock you want to view.
4. Click the 'history Batch History' button to view the list of lots/batches.
   1. To export the entire batch history, click the 'Export' button.
   2. Select either 'Excel' or 'CSV' from the export drop-down menu.
5. To view the history of a specific lot/batch, select the desired 'Stock Batch/Lot No'.
6. On the 'Edit Stock Batch' page:

   1. Click 'Show History'.

      1. 'Usage history for batch' displays the Total Quantity Used, Disp/Reason (Dispensed record number or Reason for change in quantity), Quantity Used, Used By, and Date Used.
         1. To export the usage history, click 'Export'.
         2. To choose the export format, select 'Excel' or 'CSV' from the export drop-down menu.

   2. Click 'View Allocations'.

      1. On the 'Stock Batch' page, the Assigned Stock on Hand, and Batch Stock on Hand will be displayed.
      2. Dispensed scripts that have not yet been assigned or allocated appear in the 'Unallocated Scripts' section.
      3. Scripts that have been assigned and signed off are under the 'Signed Off' section.

   3. Click 'More Actions' then select 'View Patients'.

      1. Patients who are using this batch will be displayed under 'Advanced Customer Search'.
      To learn more about Advanced Customer Search, see our full guide: Finding a customer.

Archiving an external batch stock

1. Go to the 'Settings' page.
2. Select 'Drugs & Batch Stock'.
3. Select the 'External Batch Stock' you want to archive.
4. Click on the 'archive Archive' button beside More Actions.
   1. A timestamped notification banner will appear at the top of the page confirming the action.
5. To unarchive the external batch stock, click the 'unarchive Unarchive' button beside More Actions.