IF A PROVIDER with one location finds inventory control a daunting challenge, imagine multiplying that by 14.

Cary Schwartz, vice president of information services for home medical equipment chain Homecare America, doesn't have to imagine it. He lives it.

Without automation, Schwartz figures he'd be working 29 hours a day.

The Farmingdale, N.Y., company relies on handheld barcode data collection units, much like the ones used by overnight delivery services, that track inventory from warehouse to retail location.

The package, which utilizes software developed by Dezine Healthcare Solutions, East Brunswick, N.J., can employ existing universal product codes and can generate individual labels. The data collector can be uploaded at the end of each day to the main computer system to automatically update patient files, confirm new orders for billing, log equipment status and monitor employee production.

The individual data collection units are battery-operated, cost $995 each and, in Schwartz's opinion, quickly pay for themselves in savings. "Without this capability, you would need three to four people physically counting products piece by piece," Schwartz says. "If you do inventory every quarter, look at the savings. You're cutting down on full-time employees."

Schwartz points out the savings are actually greater than that. Because counting products by hand is so time-consuming, the process takes employees away from their normal jobs and affects the business. Because of that, he says, some providers reduce that disruption by reducing the number of inventory counts. Slacking off on controlling inventory inevitably leads to shortages of product when needed.

"That means a lot of missed sales, a lot of lost business," he says.

Jeff Bloom, vice president of Dezine, says his company's inventory control software and hardware allow companies such as Homecare America to interface custom proprietary programs with his commercial ones.

"Over the past year, as Homecare America has opened new locations, the software and barcode units allow the company to stock merchandise and have all the numbers accurate when the store opens," Schwartz says. "Sales reports are generated and, in the corporate office, a composite picture is built comparing store to store."

While Schwartz's company has not utilized it yet, the new generation barcode unit can be taken into the field by delivery personnel and technicians, making it particularly handy for rentals, Bloom says.

Of course, not every provider has 14 locations to monitor. What about the little guy?

"Even single locations should take advantage of technologies like this," Schwartz says. "I wouldn't run any size operation without technologies like the ones we use from Dezine."

Bloom can't argue with that, saying: "What I tell people is, once your inventory gets so large that you can't eyeball it and maintain control, when you have a couple employees spending a week's worth of time just counting products, then it's time to call me."