PowerGate e-Commerce Edition is a low cost, PC based, electronic trading system. It is designed to act as a gateway between the hospital pharmacy system and the Pharmacy Messaging Service. It has been developed using Microsoft technology to provide a user friendly but sophisticated and powerful tool for sending and receiving trading documents i.e. orders and invoices.

The potential benefits of electronic trading are significant:

- Increased accuracy of data
- Fewer keying errors
- Reduced supply chain cycle time
- Reduced costs
- Reduced paperwork

Primarily focused at the NHS Hospital Pharmacy sector, PowerGate is an “open” system that allows you to trade with any supplier, distributor or wholesaler electronically.

Ordering

Orders are imported from your pharmacy purchasing system via various methods such as FTP, ODBC, network path etc. PowerGate can interface with all the main hospital pharmacy systems e.g. JAC, Ascribe, Northgate, Lennons, EDS, Bedford, Cortex etc.

PowerGate has separate Supplier Catalogues containing Supplier Product Codes, Descriptions, EANs and other information including prices where supplied. Around 40 pharmaceutical supplier catalogues will be pre-loaded onto the system and regularly updated via e-mail or web download.

PowerGate allows you to Match your product codes from your pharmacy system to the relevant supplier’s product code in their catalogue.

Once orders have been imported and matched they are sent to the supplier electronically via the Pharmacy Messaging Service.

The Pharmacy Messaging Service will forward the orders onto the supplier either via a direct integrated link (e-link) or via e-mail.

Invoicing

PowerGate can receive EDI Invoices from those suppliers capable and provides facility to export those invoices back to your pharmacy system. The pharmacy then attempts to automatically match those invoices to the original Purchase orders/goods receipts.

PowerGate translates the suppliers product codes on their invoices back to your local product codes so that they are recognized by your pharmacy system.