Services

Clinical Trials

Working with our Pharmaceutical partners to bring new products to the market place, MedTurn manages the complexity of clinical trails to meet all of Health Canada’s requirements.  Data collection, (paper and electronic) record retention files and patient confidentiality among others are provided.  Our standard operating procedures ensure a positive outcome with regards to audits or inspections.

Credit Notification

MedTurn supplies credit information to its manufacturer clientele who are not utilizing our Returns Automated Payment System. Based on the information supplied by MedTurn, the manufacturer issues payment or credit to its customers. Once the payment or credit is issued the manufacturer would notify MedTurn, via an EDI or FTP transaction, the date that the credit was issued, the amount of the credit and the credit note number. Manufacturers have chosen to send MedTurn credit information daily so that we can forward this information along to inquiring retailers, thus eliminating the need to call the manufacturer.

Disposal

Product stewardship concerns and environmental liability issues are a growing concern for manufacturers of all industries when it comes to the safe and secure disposal of their products. MedTurn has developed an environmental auditing program of waste vendors and waste disposal sites at the request of its current clientele. Findings are made available to clients on a confidential basis. In 1997 MedTurn also implemented a comprehensive waste management program that gives its clients the assurance that the best possible waste treatment is recommended for their products. All disposal sites are inspected and evaluated by MedTurn's Qualified Person In Charge (QPIC) before they can be approved for use. MedTurn also aggressively investigates any new product destruction technologies on an ongoing basis.

MedTurn just recently launched a program that offers a menu of options for the disposition of Narcotics and Controlled Drugs (NCD's). In 1996 MedTurn became the first company to be licensed by Health Canada (Office of Controlled Substances) to receive Narcotics, Controlled Drug and Targeted Substance returns directly from retailers and without having distributed the goods to the retailers in the first place. MedTurn's license, combined with a chronic shortage of NCD destruction facilities in Canada, and, restrictions on the export of NCD's to the United States, make MedTurn's program ideally suited to the needs of manufacturers.

Fax Broadcasting

MedTurn offers a Fax Broadcasting service that can provide its clients with the option to use MedTurn's complete database of retailers, wholesalers and hospitals to notify its customers of relevant information. This broadcast is completely customized and can be targeted to a specific group or region. MedTurn clients have used this type of service in the past to notify retailers of recalls, return policy changes and general information.

Freight

Should a collect return be received by MedTurn, the freight charges would be prorated according to the number of items per client within a return. MedTurn has negotiated favorable rates with freight suppliers. Rather than each retailer sending individual returns to every manufacturer, all items can be placed into one box and returned to one facility, this allows both the manufacturers and retailers cost of freight to be reduced.

Interactive Website for Returns

MedTurn launched the fourth phase of its interactive website (http://www.returns.org/) In addition to retailers going on-line to initiate the return process, retailers and manufacturers can now go on-line at anytime to get an instant status and/or credit report on any return sent to MedTurn. Manufacturers can list products that are eligible for return and post their return policies on the site. The features of the MedTurn website can be customized to meet the diverse reverse distribution needs of manufacturers.

Lot/Serial Number Validation

MedTurn has developed a program that ensures that all data reported to the manufacturer is 100% accurate. Lot validation works on the concept that all lot numbers are known before the product arrives. By selecting from a pre-existing list, supplied by the manufacturer, MedTurn is able to report this vital information error free.

Pill Count

Due to the fact that in certain industries partial credits are issued, in 2001 MedTurn offered pill counting by weight to all of its clients. This service is extremely valuable especially for high value items were rounded to the nearest quarter will not suffice. The item is simply weighed and the MedTurn system converts the weight into an exact count, thus an exact credit is issued.

Product Samples

Similar to trade products, MedTurn captures product information on samples being returned by your sales force, doctor’s offices and marketing teams

Recall Management

Every retail pharmacy in Canada has, at some point, used MedTurn for handling a portion of their returns. This familiarity makes it easy for manufacturers to implement a product recall. All the manufacturer has to do is provide the recalled product information and lot numbers for the MedTurn System and then recalls can be processed along with normal returns. Recalled product is segregated by lot number and quarantined for inspection, or until the manufacturer provides shipping or disposition instructions. Recalled product data are reported to the manufacturer on a predetermined basis.

Return to Stock

A Return to Stock processing module has now been in use at MedTurn for over four years. This service provides manufacturers with the option of diverting overstock, seasonal products, and other saleable returned product back into stock. The MedTurn System automatically recognizes saleable returned product and diverts it to a Return to Stock processing line where it is evaluated by up to 25 criteria determining if the manufacturer can return the item to stock for redistribution. Final approval has to be granted by the manufacturer's Quality Assurance department before the product is placed back in stock.

Returns Automated Payment System

As a logical extension of our current service offering, MedTurn can issue credit payments for returns and the supporting detail directly to the Retailer on behalf of the Manufacturer. The preferred method of distributing the funds would be through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

Using EDI for Receiving Returns Data and Sending Credit Information

The majority of MedTurn's manufacturer clients are now receiving returns data by EDI. Manufacturers are moving away from paper reports and manual data entry by using seamless EDI transmissions or other electronic options offered by MedTurn. Other data delivery options include using FTP via a secure server; email as an attached file or a data file posted on MedTurn's website.