Purpose Statement

Effective medication inventory management depends on more than maintaining an accurate quantity. Agencies must also be able to understand where medication is located, how inventory changed, who performed the activity, and whether the inventory recorded in First Due reflects what is physically present.

First Due's Medications module connects Med Supply, Med Kits, pouches, Medication Forms, medication events, Counts, signatures, and the Med Log to create a consistent inventory record throughout the medication lifecycle.

This article provides administrative best practices for configuring and overseeing medication inventory in First Due. It is intended for medication administrators, supervisors, and agency leaders responsible for maintaining accurate inventory and establishing consistent medication-management practices.

Background Information

Medication inventory in First Due is affected by multiple workflows. Receives add inventory, Transfers move existing inventory between locations, Usages document medication that was used, Removes take inventory out of circulation, and Counts compare the inventory recorded in First Due with what personnel physically observe.

These events become especially important when an agency uses multiple Med Kits and pouches. The same Medication Form can be configured in multiple pouches, allowing inventory to be tracked according to its actual physical location rather than combining matching Medication Forms into a single Med Kit quantity.

Agencies can also configure optional Par and Min values for Medication Forms within pouches. These values provide visual inventory awareness and help personnel recognize when medication is below its desired stocking level or requires restocking.

The Med Log provides the historical record of medication activity. Administrators can use it to review events, investigate discrepancies, examine signatures, identify reversed events, and generate reports when additional review is needed.

A reliable medication inventory process therefore depends on three connected practices:

• Consistent configuration — Med Kits, pouches, Medication Forms, Par, and Min should reflect how inventory is actually organized.
• Accurate operational documentation — Personnel should document Receives, Transfers, Usages, Removes, and Counts against the correct inventory and pouch.
• Administrative oversight — Supervisors and administrators should use inventory indicators, Counts, signatures, occurrences, and the Med Log to identify and investigate conditions requiring attention.

Required Permissions

The permissions required depend on the responsibilities assigned to the administrator, supervisor, or medication manager.

Review the Medications: Comprehensive Permissions Guide to understand all Medications module permissions and best practices.

Building a Consistent Medication Inventory Structure

The quality of medication inventory data begins with configuration. Med Kits and pouches should be organized so personnel can easily identify where medication is physically stored and select that same location when documenting medication activity.

Use Pouches to Represent Meaningful Inventory Locations

Each Med Kit includes a Default location, which is automatically created and cannot be deleted, moved, or replaced as the Default location. Agencies can rename it and create additional pouches to represent their inventory organization.

When designing a Med Kit:

• Use clear and recognizable pouch names.
• Configure Medication Forms in the pouch where they are expected to be stored.
• Keep the system configuration aligned with the physical organization personnel encounter in the field.
• Review pouch assignments when the physical organization of a Med Kit changes.
• Avoid relying on the Default location as a catch-all when a more specific pouch better represents the medication's actual location.

Configure Medication Forms Intentionally

A medication may have different Medication Forms, and the same Medication Form can be configured in multiple pouches.

Administrators should ensure the configured Medication Forms represent the inventory personnel actually need to document. This becomes particularly important during Counts, Usages, Receives, Transfers, and Removes because personnel must select the correct form and, when applicable, the correct pouch.

Consistent configuration reduces the likelihood of activity being documented against the wrong inventory record.

Establishing Meaningful Par and Min Levels

Par and Min serve different inventory-management purposes.

• Par identifies the desired stocking level.
• Min establishes the minimum threshold used to determine when inventory has fallen into the Restock Needed condition.

Neither value is required.

Use the Yellow Range as an Inventory Monitoring Tool

When an agency wants a broader yellow monitoring range before inventory becomes red, configure Min below Par.

For example, Par = 4 and Min = 2 creates a yellow monitoring range at quantities 4, 3, and 2. Inventory becomes red only after falling below 2.

If Par and Min are the same value, inventory at that value remains yellow, but there is no multi-quantity monitoring range between Par and Min. The next reduction below Min causes the card to become red.

Understand the Inventory Indicators

Medication cards use inventory status indicators based on the configured Par and Min values:

• Red — Restock Needed: Quantity is at or below Min.
• Yellow — Monitor: Quantity is above Min but at or below Par.
• Light Gray — Well Stocked: Quantity is above Par.

When Min is not configured, inventory displays yellow when quantity is at or below Par and gray when quantity is above Par.

When Min is configured without Par, inventory above Min displays gray.

When neither Par nor Min is configured, the medication displays gray.

Review Thresholds When Stocking Practices Change

Changes to physical stocking expectations should be reflected in First Due.

Administrators should review Par and Min values when:

• Medication quantities normally carried in a pouch change.
• Medication Forms are added or removed.
• Inventory is reorganized between pouches.
• Operational stocking practices change.

Avoid configuring values solely to create a preferred card color. Par and Min should represent the agency's actual inventory-management expectations.

Maintaining Accurate Inventory Through Medication Events

Medication quantities change as personnel complete medication events. Each event should represent what physically happened to the medication.

Receive

Use Receive when medication is being added into the inventory system from a configured Pharmacy vendor.

Medication can be received into Med Supply or a Med Kit, depending on permissions and the intended destination.

When receiving into a Med Kit, personnel should verify the destination pouch. Receive behavior can use the Medication Form's pouch configuration to help direct inventory, but personnel should confirm the selected destination before completing the event.

Receives may include:

• Medication Form
• Quantity
• Expiration date
• Lot number
• Serial number, when configured
• Destination Med Kit and pouch

Transfer

Use Transfer when medication inventory already recorded in First Due physically moves from one inventory location to another.

Transfers can move inventory:

• From Med Supply into a Med Kit.
• From a Med Kit to another Med Kit or applicable destination.
• Between applicable medication inventory locations supported by the workflow.

A Transfer updates both the source and destination.

When transferring into a Med Kit, the destination pouch matters. A Transfer documented to the wrong pouch can leave the total Med Kit quantity appearing reasonable while making pouch-level inventory inaccurate.

Usage

Use Usage to document medication that was used.

Usage reduces the available inventory associated with the selected Medication Form and pouch.

When the same Medication Form exists in multiple pouches, personnel should select the pouch from which the medication was physically taken.

Usage can change the medication card from:

• Light gray to yellow.
• Yellow to red when the resulting quantity falls below Min.
• A stocked quantity to zero.

When only part of a medication container is administered, the Usage workflow can calculate the remaining amount as waste based on the documented administered amount.

Remove

Use Remove when medication is physically taken out of active inventory.

Examples supported by the workflow include expired, damaged, or other agency-defined removal reasons.

Removing medication changes the available quantity of the applicable inventory. If the resulting quantity falls below Min, the medication becomes red and displays Restock Needed.

Document What Physically Occurred

Administrators should reinforce a simple inventory principle:

The medication event documented in First Due should match the physical medication activity that actually occurred.

For example, physically moving existing medication from Med Supply into a Med Kit should be documented as a Transfer rather than adding inventory to the Med Kit through an unrelated Receive event without accounting for the original inventory.

Accurate event selection helps preserve both trustworthy quantities and a meaningful historical record.

Managing Inventory Across Multiple Pouches

Pouch-level tracking provides more detailed inventory information but makes accurate pouch selection increasingly important.

The same Medication Form can exist in multiple pouches within one Med Kit. First Due maintains those quantities separately.

Why Pouch Selection Matters

Selecting the wrong pouch can affect:

• Current quantity within each pouch.
• Par and Min status.
• Restocking decisions.
• Medication Counts.
• Usages, Transfers, Receives, and Removes.
• Pouch-level reporting.
• Administrative investigation of medication history.

A Med Kit's overall medication quantity may therefore appear reasonable while an individual pouch remains inaccurate.

Administrators should encourage personnel to verify before completing medication activites:

• Med Kit
• Pouch
• Medication Form
• Quantity
• Expiration date
• Lot number
• Serial number, when applicable

Monitoring Low and Zero Inventory

Par and Min indicators allow personnel and administrators to recognize inventory conditions requiring attention without waiting for a formal inventory review.

Monitor Yellow Inventory Before It Becomes Critical

A yellow medication card indicates that inventory is within the applicable monitoring range.

When both Par and Min are configured, yellow includes quantities from Min through Par, inclusive.

Yellow does not mean the medication is already in the Restock Needed condition. It gives personnel visibility that inventory is no longer above the configured Par level.

Review Red Restock Needed Inventory

A red Restock Needed card indicates that inventory is below Min.

Administrators should review these conditions and determine whether the physical inventory and documented medication activity support the displayed quantity.

Depending on what physically occurred, replenishment may involve:

• Transfer from existing inventory.
• Receive from a Pharmacy vendor.

Review Zero-Quantity Medication Forms

A configured Medication Form can remain visible on the Med Kit Overview when quantity reaches 0.

This visibility allows personnel to recognize that the Medication Form belongs in the pouch even though no inventory is currently available.

However, a zero-quantity Medication Form:

• Cannot be selected for Usage, Transfer, Remove, or other medication actions that require existing inventory.
• Does not display during a Count.
• Does not display during the count portion of a Custody Exchange.

This behavior is expected because there is no physical inventory to act upon or verify.

Managing Expiration Dates, Lot Numbers, and Serial Numbers

Inventory accuracy includes identifying the correct medication inventory, not only maintaining the correct numerical quantity.

Expiration dates, lot numbers, and serial numbers where configured help distinguish inventory records and support accurate event documentation.

Administrators should encourage personnel to verify the available identifiers when performing medication events, particularly when a pouch contains:

• Multiple expiration dates.
• Multiple lots.
• Multiple individually tracked units.

Expired Inventory Can Affect Usable Stock

Expired medication can affect whether the Med Kit has sufficient usable inventory even when the physical unit remains present.

Administrators should therefore evaluate both:

• How much inventory is physically present, and
• Whether that inventory remains usable and accurately documented.

When medication is taken out of inventory, personnel should complete the appropriate Remove workflow so First Due continues to reflect the physical inventory.

Using Counts to Validate Inventory

Medication events maintain the inventory record over time. Counts provide an opportunity to compare that record with the medication personnel physically observe.

During a Count, personnel can review inventory by pouch and verify applicable information such as:

• Medication Form
• Quantity
• Expiration date
• Lot number
• Serial number, when configured

When the same Medication Form is stocked in multiple pouches, each pouch's existing inventory is presented separately.

Understand Zero-Quantity Behavior During Counts

Medication Forms with no current inventory do not appear during Counts.

This is intentional: there is no physical medication available to count or verify.

The Medication Form can still remain visible on the Med Kit Overview so personnel can recognize the stocking need.

Treat Discrepancies as Information Requiring Investigation

A Count discrepancy indicates that the physical inventory does not agree with the inventory First Due expected to be present.

Administrators should review both the physical inventory and recent medication activity before determining the appropriate follow-up.

Potential areas to investigate include:

• Usage documented against the wrong pouch.
• An undocumented or incorrectly documented Transfer.
• Receive inventory assigned to the wrong destination or pouch.
• Physical removal without the corresponding Remove event.
• Incorrect quantity or inventory selection during an earlier event.
• Medication previously marked incorrectly during a Count.

For controlled substances, discrepancy behavior can generate occurrence information according to the established Count workflow and agency notification configuration.

Using Multi-Action Workflows to Keep Inventory Synchronized

Multi-Action Workflows allow supported medication events to be combined into one workflow and finalized through one overall signature process.

A common inventory workflow is:

Usage → Transfer or Receive → Count

This allows personnel to:

1. Document medication that was used.
2. Replenish the affected Med Kit or pouch when replacement inventory is part of the same operational process.
3. Complete a final Count when physical verification is required.

Use Multi-Action Workflows to Address Low Inventory When Appropriate

An action such as Usage or Remove may cause a medication to fall below Min.

If replenishment is physically occurring as part of the same operational process, personnel can add the appropriate Transfer or Receive before completing the Multi-Action Workflow.

This can restore the pouch inventory before the workflow is finalized.

The Critical Low Stock condition applies when inventory falls below Min and is not corrected through the applicable workflow.

Maintaining Documentation and Signature Accountability

Signature requirements are configured by each agency and can differ between controlled and non-controlled substance events.

Depending on configuration, medication events may require:

• No signature for applicable non-controlled substance activity.
• Signature only.
• Signature and PIN or password authentication.
• Multiple required signers.

Understand Complete and Sign Later

For supported workflows, Complete and Sign Later completes the medication transaction and applies the inventory changes immediately.

The signature requirement remains outstanding and the event is added to Pending Signatures.

This distinction matters administratively:

An outstanding signature does not necessarily mean the associated inventory transaction is waiting to occur.

The inventory may already have been added, moved, used, or removed.

Distinguish Pending Signatures from Draft Counts

A Count saved using Save as Draft remains unfinished.

It does not create a Pending Signature simply because it was saved as a draft. Instead, Resume Count appears for the applicable Med Kit so personnel can continue the unfinished Count.

Active Custody Exchanges also have different signature behavior and require the applicable providers to complete their custody signature workflow rather than using Complete and Sign Later.

Using the Med Log for Inventory Oversight

The Med Log provides the historical medication activity administrators can use to understand how inventory reached its current state.

Rather than reviewing only the current quantity, administrators can use the Med Log to examine the events that added, moved, reduced, verified, or corrected inventory.

Relevant activity can include:

• Receives
• Transfers
• Usages
• Removes
• Counts
• Count discrepancies
• Occurrence activity
• Reversed events
• Users associated with medication events
• Event details
• Signatures where applicable

Investigate Before Correcting

When an inventory quantity appears incorrect, first determine whether the physical inventory and documented event history explain the difference.

Review:

• The affected Med Kit.
• The applicable pouch.
• The Medication Form.
• Available expiration, lot, or serial information.
• Recent Receives, Transfers, Usages, Removes, and Counts.
• Discrepancy or occurrence information.
• Reversed events.
• Associated signatures when relevant.

Avoid creating an unrelated inventory event merely to make the displayed quantity match expectations without first understanding the cause.

Use the Appropriate Report for the Review

The Med Log provides multiple reporting options.

• Individual Event CSV and List CSV exports support spreadsheet-based review but do not include all signature information.
• History Log PDF supports review of historical activity but does not display signature images.
• Individual Log PDF provides event-specific reports with signatures where applicable.
• Detailed Log PDF provides more comprehensive event information, including signatures where applicable.

Choose the report format based on the information needed for the administrative review.

Reversing Incorrectly Documented Medication Events

When an eligible medication event itself was entered incorrectly, authorized users can use Reverse Event from the Med Log.

The following event types can be reversed:

• Receive
• Transfer
• Remove
• Usage

A reversal does not delete or overwrite the original event. First Due preserves the original activity and creates documented reversal information, including who performed the reversal and the reason.

The following events cannot be reversed:

• Count
• Report
• Count Failed occurrences
• Custody Exchange

Use Reversal for Documentation Errors, Not Every Discrepancy

A discrepancy, occurrence, and incorrectly documented event are not interchangeable.

Before reversing an event:

• Verify that the original event was actually documented incorrectly.
• Review the affected inventory and pouch.
• Review the surrounding medication history.
• Determine whether reversal accurately represents the correction being made.

A Count discrepancy or controlled substance occurrence does not automatically mean an earlier event should be reversed.

Recommended Administrative Review Practices

Agencies should establish inventory review practices appropriate for their own operations, policies, and applicable requirements. First Due provides several areas administrators can evaluate together.

Review Inventory Conditions

Look for:

• Red Restock Needed Medication Forms.
• Yellow Monitor Medication Forms.
• Configured Medication Forms at quantity 0.
• Upcoming expirations.
• Expired medication.
• Unexpected pouch placement.
• Par or Min values that no longer reflect current stocking practices.

Review Inventory Activity

Use the Med Log to identify activity requiring additional review, such as:

• Count discrepancies.
• Controlled substance occurrence activity.
• Unexpected inventory movement.
• Reversed events.
• Medication activity against an unexpected Med Kit or pouch.
• Repeated corrections or unusual changes that warrant additional investigation.

Review Documentation

Evaluate:

• Pending Signatures.
• Drafted Counts displaying Resume Count.
• Required event signatures when relevant.
• Removal reasons and comments.
• Reversal reasons.
• Attachments or supporting event information when applicable.

Review Configuration Against Physical Operations

Compare First Due with how medication is actually organized.

Changes to any of the following may require administrative configuration updates:

• Med Kits
• Pouches
• Medication Forms
• Stocking locations
• Par values
• Min values
• Controlled substance security settings
• Count configuration

First Due can provide reliable inventory information only when the configuration, documented medication events, and physical inventory remain aligned.

Inventory Oversight Checklist

Administrators and supervisors can use the following checklist as part of their agency's established inventory review process. Review frequency should follow agency policy and applicable requirements.

Inventory Status

• Review Medication Forms displaying red Restock Needed.
• Review Medication Forms in the yellow Monitor range.
• Identify configured Medication Forms displaying quantity 0.
• Confirm below-Min inventory is being addressed through the appropriate Receive or Transfer activity.
• Review whether Par values still represent desired stocking levels.
• Review whether Min values still represent the intended low-stock threshold.
• Confirm agencies wanting a broader yellow monitoring range have configured Min below Par where appropriate.
• Verify any Critical Low Stock conditions align with the underlying medication activity.

Pouches and Inventory Placement

• Confirm Med Kit pouch names still correspond to the physical kit organization.
• Verify Medication Forms are configured in the correct pouches.
• Review inventory placement when the same Medication Form is configured in multiple pouches.
• Investigate unexpected pouch-level quantities rather than relying only on an assumed overall Med Kit quantity.
• Confirm destination pouches used during Transfers and Receives match where medication is physically stored.

Inventory Details

• Review upcoming expiration dates.
• Identify expired inventory requiring action.
• Review lot information where applicable.
• Review serial-number information where configured.
• Confirm medication activity is documented against the correct Medication Form and inventory record.

Counts and Discrepancies

• Review Count discrepancies.
• Investigate controlled substance occurrence indicators requiring attention.
• Check for Resume Count when an unfinished Count remains in progress.
• Remember that Medication Forms already recorded at quantity 0 do not appear during Counts.
• Compare recent medication events with physical inventory when investigating unexplained differences.

Events and Documentation

• Review Receives, Transfers, Usages, and Removes when inventory movement requires investigation.
• Confirm Transfers accurately reflect the source, destination, and applicable pouch.
• Review Pending Signatures for outstanding documentation.
• Review event signatures when needed for accountability.
• Review reversed events and their documented reasons.
• Verify reversals are being used for incorrectly documented eligible events rather than as a default response to every discrepancy.

Med Log Oversight

• Review occurrence and discrepancy activity.
• Use Med Log views and filters to narrow administrative review when appropriate.
• Review the sequence of medication events when the current quantity alone does not explain an inventory condition.
• Select the appropriate CSV or PDF report based on whether signatures and detailed event information are needed.

Best Practices

• Align First Due with physical inventory. Med Kits, pouches, Medication Forms, and stocking locations should represent how medication is actually organized.
• Use Par and Min intentionally. Par represents desired stock. Min establishes the threshold below which Restock Needed begins.
• Understand the current card logic. Inventory at Min is not red. When Par is also configured, inventory at Min remains yellow. Red begins only below Min.
• Use the yellow range for early awareness. Configure Min below Par when the agency wants a broader monitoring range between its desired level and Restock Needed condition.
• Document what physically happened. Use Receive, Transfer, Usage, and Remove according to the actual inventory activity.
• Treat pouch selection as part of inventory accuracy. The same Medication Form can have separate quantities in multiple pouches.
• Do not interpret zero inventory as missing configuration. A zero-quantity Medication Form remains visible on the Med Kit Overview but is unavailable for inventory-reducing actions and does not appear during Count or Custody Exchange verification.
• Use Counts to validate inventory, not replace medication events. Routine medication activity should be documented through the appropriate workflow.
• Investigate discrepancies before changing inventory. Review physical inventory and Med Log activity to understand the difference.
• Use Multi-Action Workflows for related medication activity. When usage, replenishment, and verification are part of the same event, keeping the actions together can create a clearer history.
• Review more than quantity. Expiration dates, lot numbers, serial numbers where configured, pouch placement, signatures, occurrences, and event history all contribute to inventory accountability.
• Use event reversal for eligible documentation errors. Reversal preserves the original record and documents the correction.
• Keep configuration current. Changes in physical medication organization should be reflected in First Due.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why does our inventory show the correct total quantity, but an individual pouch is incorrect?

The same Medication Form can be configured in multiple pouches, and each pouch maintains separate inventory. Review recent Usages, Transfers, Receives, and other activity for the affected Medication Form to determine whether an event was documented against the wrong pouch.

What is the difference between Par and Min?

Par represents the desired stocking level. Min represents the configured minimum inventory threshold. When both are configured, inventory from Min through Par displays yellow. Inventory becomes red Restock Needed only after it falls below Min.

Does a medication turn red when it reaches Min?

No. Under the current inventory logic, Restock Needed begins only when quantity falls below Min. When both Par and Min are configured, quantity exactly at Min remains yellow.

What happens if Par and Min are configured to the same value?

Inventory at that value displays yellow because it is at Min and at Par. The medication becomes red after its quantity falls below Min.

Why would an agency configure Min below Par?

Configuring Min below Par creates a broader yellow monitoring range. This allows personnel to see that inventory has fallen from the desired Par level before it reaches the below-Min red Restock Needed condition.

What does light gray mean when only Min is configured?

When Min is configured without Par, inventory at or above Min displays light gray. If inventory falls below Min, the medication becomes red Restock Needed.

Why is a Medication Form still visible when its quantity is zero?

A configured Medication Form remains visible on the Med Kit Overview even when no units are currently stocked. This allows personnel to recognize that the medication belongs in the pouch and needs inventory.

Can personnel use a zero-quantity Medication Form in a medication action?

No. Because there is no current physical inventory, the Medication Form cannot be selected for actions such as Usage, Transfer, or Remove. Use an applicable Receive or Transfer to replenish it.

Why doesn't a zero-quantity Medication Form appear during a Count?

Counts display medication that is physically available to verify. A Medication Form already recorded at quantity 0 remains visible on the Med Kit Overview but does not appear during Count because there is nothing physically present to count.

Does the same zero-quantity behavior apply during a Custody Exchange count?

Yes. A Medication Form at quantity 0 does not appear during the physical verification portion of a Custody Exchange because there is no inventory to verify.

Is a zero-quantity Medication Form automatically a Count discrepancy?

No. If First Due already records the Medication Form at quantity 0, its physical absence is consistent with the system record. A discrepancy occurs when First Due expects medication to be present and the physical inventory does not match.

Why is a medication showing that it requires attention even though inventory still exists?

Review the configured Min, expiration information, and individual inventory records. A medication does not need to reach zero to display Restock Needed; it becomes red whenever the available quantity is below Min.

What triggers Critical Low Stock?

Based on the configured notification behavior established for Medications, Critical Low Stock applies when medication inventory drops below Min and the condition is not corrected as part of the applicable medication workflow.

Should we perform a Count to correct every inventory discrepancy?

No. A Count verifies what is physically present but does not necessarily explain why the difference occurred. Review the Med Log and recent medication events to determine whether a Usage, Transfer, Receive, Remove, or documentation error explains the discrepancy.

How should an incorrectly documented medication event be corrected?

Eligible Receive, Transfer, Remove, and Usage events can be reversed by an authorized user from the Med Log. The original event remains in the historical record along with the documented reversal. Counts, Reports, Count Failed occurrences, and Custody Exchanges cannot be reversed.

Does Complete and Sign Later delay the inventory update?

No. For workflows supporting Complete and Sign Later, the medication transaction and resulting inventory change are applied immediately. The signature remains outstanding under Pending Signatures.

Why isn't an unfinished Count displayed under Pending Signatures?

A Count saved as a draft remains unfinished. Resume Count appears for the applicable Med Kit so personnel can return to the Count. Saving the Count as a draft does not itself create a Pending Signature.

Can a Multi-Action Workflow address inventory that falls below Min?

Yes, when replenishment is part of the actual medication activity. For example, a Usage may be followed by a Transfer or Receive that replenishes the affected pouch before the Multi-Action Workflow is completed.

Can Count be followed by another medication action?

No. Count is a terminating action. It cannot begin a Multi-Action Workflow, and no additional medication actions can be added after Count.

Where should administrators start when investigating unexplained inventory?

Start with the affected Med Kit, pouch, Medication Form, and physical inventory. Then review relevant Med Log activity, including Receives, Transfers, Usages, Removes, Counts, discrepancies, occurrences, reversed events, and associated event details. Determine how the documented inventory reached its current state before making additional changes.