Frequently Asked Questions
What is SimpLED?
The SimpLED system consists of a handheld smart scanner and hundreds of RFID-LED sensor tags. Put one tag on each bag or bin and consolidate all of a patient's prescriptions into that bag for easy pickup.
Is SimpLED right for my operation?
We find that pharmacies that have between 100 to 1000 prescriptions per day benefit from implementing SimpLED.
How do I know if SimpLED will help my pharmacy?
Think of SimpLED as a labor multiplier that will drastically improve your maximum sustainable production rate. Here are some clear warning signs your pharmacy is being asked to operate above your maximum sustainable production rate, but your team is currently not able to sustain that rate with high quality indefinitely.
- Our customers are moving their prescriptions from our store without telling us.
- We routinely have lines longer than 3 or 4 people, or do not have the ability to answer the phone promptly.
- Our cashiers or technicians struggle with frustration, burnout, high turnover, low morale, or mental and physical fatigue by the end of a shift.
- When the pressure ratchets up and the queue forms, does our team avoid the line or jump into the task with a smile and positive energy?
- We are throwing labor at will call, but have diminishing or negative returns - OR - we don't have any more room for technicians - OR - "we just can't find good technicians!".
- Our pharmacists are overly involved in pickup and return to stock workflows.
- We periodically fail to find filled prescriptions which quickly escalates into an all hands on deck boondoggle that distracts our team including the pharmacist, creates a logjam at checkout, and gives our customers the mistaken idea that we don’t know what we’re doing.
- We don't do day 10 and/or day 14 return to stock every day because it is too difficult or time consuming.
- We mistakenly dispense prescriptions beyond the 10- or 14- day return to stock window and as a result fail to get properly reimbursed.
What's a "maximum sustainable production rate"?
It's the highest possible output rate that a process can be sustained indefinitely without compromising quality or safety. The term is commonly used in operations management, manufacturing, or consulting to benchmark efficiency and identify bottlenecks.
What are the benefits of implementing SimpLED?
- Immediately double or triple the productivity of your will call and return to stock workflows. Your pharmacy technicians and cashiers will have substantially more energy to focus on customer service or clinical tasks. Your pharmacists will not be distracted with misplaced Rx, double fills, and other errors.
- Your patients will notice how much improved their service is and visibly see the investment you are making in improving their experience. They will be more likely to provide positive reviews and refer their friends. This creates sustainable word of mouth marketing for no extra cost or work other than doing very well what you already must do as a retail pharmacy.
- SimpLED works with any will call system. Simple, flexible, fast setup. No pharmacy system integration. No maintenance fees. After a pharmacy management system, SimpLED will be one of your most cost effective investments in pharmacy-specific technology.
What do I do with extra time saved?
Get creative and redeploy labor more efficiently to build your business and create a great workplace culture! Since pickup will go faster, you can identify more important tasks for your team. For example, your cashiers or technicians can answer phones faster, or follow customer service protocols to see if patients would benefit from over the counter products, are eligible for vaccines, would benefit from a consultation, or compliance packaging. Another possibility is have your technicians get vaccine certification so they can enjoy some career progression and manage the will call and front end and free up pharmacists. Ask your team to create some ideas and see what they come up with. Want to brainstorm or share some ideas - drop us a line!
What equipment do I need?
The pharmacy will need one handheld scanner for the pharmacy and one LED sensor per bag/bin in will call. LED sensors come in packs of 50. No other equipment is required.
How many sensors do I need to purchase?
You need a unique sensor for each item you want to link. You can link each prescription separately so there is a 1:1 relationship between the sensor and the prescription or you can consolidate multiple prescriptions from the same patient into one bag. We recommend consolidating all of a patient's prescriptions into one bag to act as a defacto med sync and minimize the cost of SimpLED sensors. If you have oversize items stored in an adjacent area, you can consolidate the patient's items in that oversize bag and clip the sensor tag to that item. You can also use for delivery or for high value items or anything else you want to tag. In summary to get an exact number, find the average maximum patients in will call for the last several weeks and round up to the nearest 50, and add anything else you want to track.
How hard is it to setup?
The most time consuming step is working with your pharmacy management system vendor to add a unique patient-specific barcode or QR code to your pharmacy receipt. After that, from start to finish SimpLED takes about 3-4 hours to setup: Put sensor clips on each bag/bin in will call, understand how to use the SimpLED app, and link your prescriptions to the sensors. You can setup one evening and be running the next day.
Are there any other changes to my normal workflow?
Decide how you want to organize will call. We recommend you organize your will call alphabetically, but you can also place bags randomly and let SimpLED find them for you.
What if I'm using bins not bags?
Bins can work, just clip SimpLED to a bin. Some of our customers that benefit the most from SimpLED have used this as an opportunity to optimize their will call setup, often from bins to hanging bags.
How do I link?
When first placing the Rx into a hanging bag or bin, create a link by scanning the sensor tag QR code and scanning a second barcode for the patient or the prescription number.
How does will call work?
- Enter the first few letters of the unique patient code you created or Rx number in the scanner and call tag.
- Every tag linked to that patient will blink in will call, and can also be set to beep if needed.
- Two POS kiosks can easily share one SimpLED scanner reducing pickup time to 5-20 seconds per customer.
How does day 10/14 return to stock work?
- Use built in function on handheld scanner to call all bags that are day 10 or day 14, or set your own custom interval.
- All identified bags blink and beep making it simple to rapidly pull those bags for return to stock.
How does SimpLED help with de-facto med-sync?
If you put all prescriptions from each patient into one bag, you effectively create med-sync when patient comes to pickup. This can also be a reminder to your team to sync them in your pharmacy system, and/or for your team to ask patients if they want to try compliance packaging.
How does this system know what’s linked to the sensor?
Each sensor has a unique QR code. You need to generate a unique barcode for each prescription or each patient. We find that it works well to have your pharmacy system generate a simple 1D barcode of patient’s first few letters of last name and date of birth and link this to the sensor QR code. Then when the patient comes for pickup you simply ask last name and DOB and query this into the SimpLED scanner and the associated sensor in will call will light up.
My store’s will-call is packed, how do I find the sensor easily?
In addition to several bright green LEDs, each sensor has a speaker that can be activated. So your team can hear the sensor beeping as an additional cue. SimpLED can also help consolidate multiple individual prescriptions from the same patient down into one bag/bin.
I don’t use bags or bins, can I use SimpLED?
As long as you can clip or attach the sensor you can use SimpLED. So, you could clip it to compliance packaging or other form factors, or remove the clip and attach the sensor directly to a surface.
Is systems integration required?
No. To improve simplicity, security, and cost, there is no integration with POS or pharmacy systems or your wireless network. The handheld scanner is fully self-contained and has intuitive software to link, call, day 10/14, and un-link, and communicates directly with the LED sensors. Even if you lose power, the system operates off batteries.
Is SimpLED "integrated" with my pharmacy management system?
SimpLED is logically-integrated with your pharmacy system, but is not directly integrated through an API. Your pharmacy management system creates a prescription ID and also a unique patient identifier. That unique patient identifier is printed on your ticket and SimpLED maintains a link between the unique patient identifier and a unique sensor tag QR code. In summary SimpLED links a sensor to a patient and your system links a patient to a prescription.
Are their other tips and tricks to checkout faster using SimpLED?
Yes. SimpLED will help you quickly pick a patient's items from will call and bring back to the point of sale. Then using the scanner attached to your point of sale computer, read one of the prescription barcodes in the bag to pull that patient up inside the point of sale system and proceed straight to checkout.
How often do I need to change the batteries on the sensors?
The CR2032 button style battery in each sensor can last 1-5 years. Batteries are available in bulk and can be replaced by opening up each sensor tag.
Can I put the sensors in the refrigerator?
Yes, but we find it’s preferable to teach your team which prescriptions they can find in the refrigerator since these tend to be more valuable and managing the cold chain is important. At cold temperatures the electrolyte in the battery can have degraded performance and inside the closed door you might not hear the speaker.
How do I calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?
The total cost of ownership is simply the sum of the cost of the scanner and the sensors, or use the calculator on the Products page.
Can I deduct the cost of SimpLED?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July 2025, allows eligible businesses to fully deduct the cost of computers and other qualifying equipment in the year they are purchased and put into service.
How do I calculate the Return on Investment (ROI)?
See the calculator on the Products page. Multiply the number of prescriptions you fill each year time the amount of time saved in will call times a blended hourly rate for technicians to manage will call as well as the time for those occasional prescriptions you can’t find or get lost, add the amount of time saved in day 10/14 return to stock. For example, for will call time saved =50,000 Rx/year * 20 seconds saved/Rx * $25/hour blended labor rate = $6944. Daily day 10/14 return to stock = 15 Rx/day * 365 days * $25/h blended labor rate = $570. The sum of this is $7515. So every year a pharmacy with 50,000 Rx will save about $7500, plus free up the team for higher value activities. If the cost of the scanner and sensors to manage 50,000 Rx is $10,000, then early in year 2 and from that point forward the investment will pay your store about $7500/year in savings on cost of labor alone. Want some help making that calculation for your store - drop us a line!
Why don’t you charge a yearly subscription?
We developed SimpLED to be a best-in-class solution for retail pharmacies to adopt computer-aided will call automation. We understand exactly the financial pressures and complexity pharmacies are facing, so we did not want to overly complicate the solution or needlessly increase pricing.
Do you offer financing?
Not directly but the cost of SimpLED can be deducted and we offer a no risk one month evaluation that acts like a two month financing plan.
How does the no risk 30 day evaluation work?
Pay half down and we'll help you setup and trial SimpLED for a month. If you want to keep it, pay the other half. If you do not want to keep it, return all of the components for a full refund. Contact sales to get started today.
Do you provide any product warranties or replacement?
The scanner and the sensor tags are quite robust. We also provide an annual replacement plan: for $1000 per year we will replace a broken scanner and up to 50 failed sensors, a $2000 value. Contact support for more details.
The SimpLED system consists of a handheld smart scanner and hundreds of RFID-LED sensor tags. Put one tag on each bag or bin and consolidate all of a patient's prescriptions into that bag for easy pickup.
Is SimpLED right for my operation?
We find that pharmacies that have between 100 to 1000 prescriptions per day benefit from implementing SimpLED.
How do I know if SimpLED will help my pharmacy?
Think of SimpLED as a labor multiplier that will drastically improve your maximum sustainable production rate. Here are some clear warning signs your pharmacy is being asked to operate above your maximum sustainable production rate, but your team is currently not able to sustain that rate with high quality indefinitely.
- Our customers are moving their prescriptions from our store without telling us.
- We routinely have lines longer than 3 or 4 people, or do not have the ability to answer the phone promptly.
- Our cashiers or technicians struggle with frustration, burnout, high turnover, low morale, or mental and physical fatigue by the end of a shift.
- When the pressure ratchets up and the queue forms, does our team avoid the line or jump into the task with a smile and positive energy?
- We are throwing labor at will call, but have diminishing or negative returns - OR - we don't have any more room for technicians - OR - "we just can't find good technicians!".
- Our pharmacists are overly involved in pickup and return to stock workflows.
- We periodically fail to find filled prescriptions which quickly escalates into an all hands on deck boondoggle that distracts our team including the pharmacist, creates a logjam at checkout, and gives our customers the mistaken idea that we don’t know what we’re doing.
- We don't do day 10 and/or day 14 return to stock every day because it is too difficult or time consuming.
- We mistakenly dispense prescriptions beyond the 10- or 14- day return to stock window and as a result fail to get properly reimbursed.
What's a "maximum sustainable production rate"?
It's the highest possible output rate that a process can be sustained indefinitely without compromising quality or safety. The term is commonly used in operations management, manufacturing, or consulting to benchmark efficiency and identify bottlenecks.
What are the benefits of implementing SimpLED?
- Immediately double or triple the productivity of your will call and return to stock workflows. Your pharmacy technicians and cashiers will have substantially more energy to focus on customer service or clinical tasks. Your pharmacists will not be distracted with misplaced Rx, double fills, and other errors.
- Your patients will notice how much improved their service is and visibly see the investment you are making in improving their experience. They will be more likely to provide positive reviews and refer their friends. This creates sustainable word of mouth marketing for no extra cost or work other than doing very well what you already must do as a retail pharmacy.
- SimpLED works with any will call system. Simple, flexible, fast setup. No pharmacy system integration. No maintenance fees. After a pharmacy management system, SimpLED will be one of your most cost effective investments in pharmacy-specific technology.
What do I do with extra time saved?
Get creative and redeploy labor more efficiently to build your business and create a great workplace culture! Since pickup will go faster, you can identify more important tasks for your team. For example, your cashiers or technicians can answer phones faster, or follow customer service protocols to see if patients would benefit from over the counter products, are eligible for vaccines, would benefit from a consultation, or compliance packaging. Another possibility is have your technicians get vaccine certification so they can enjoy some career progression and manage the will call and front end and free up pharmacists. Ask your team to create some ideas and see what they come up with. Want to brainstorm or share some ideas - drop us a line!
What equipment do I need?
The pharmacy will need one handheld scanner for the pharmacy and one LED sensor per bag/bin in will call. LED sensors come in packs of 50. No other equipment is required.
How many sensors do I need to purchase?
You need a unique sensor for each item you want to link. You can link each prescription separately so there is a 1:1 relationship between the sensor and the prescription or you can consolidate multiple prescriptions from the same patient into one bag. We recommend consolidating all of a patient's prescriptions into one bag to act as a defacto med sync and minimize the cost of SimpLED sensors. If you have oversize items stored in an adjacent area, you can consolidate the patient's items in that oversize bag and clip the sensor tag to that item. You can also use for delivery or for high value items or anything else you want to tag. In summary to get an exact number, find the average maximum patients in will call for the last several weeks and round up to the nearest 50, and add anything else you want to track.
How hard is it to setup?
The most time consuming step is working with your pharmacy management system vendor to add a unique patient-specific barcode or QR code to your pharmacy receipt. After that, from start to finish SimpLED takes about 3-4 hours to setup: Put sensor clips on each bag/bin in will call, understand how to use the SimpLED app, and link your prescriptions to the sensors. You can setup one evening and be running the next day.
Are there any other changes to my normal workflow?
Decide how you want to organize will call. We recommend you organize your will call alphabetically, but you can also place bags randomly and let SimpLED find them for you.
What if I'm using bins not bags?
Bins can work, just clip SimpLED to a bin. Some of our customers that benefit the most from SimpLED have used this as an opportunity to optimize their will call setup, often from bins to hanging bags.
How do I link?
When first placing the Rx into a hanging bag or bin, create a link by scanning the sensor tag QR code and scanning a second barcode for the patient or the prescription number.
How does will call work?
- Enter the first few letters of the unique patient code you created or Rx number in the scanner and call tag.
- Every tag linked to that patient will blink in will call, and can also be set to beep if needed.
- Two POS kiosks can easily share one SimpLED scanner reducing pickup time to 5-20 seconds per customer.
How does day 10/14 return to stock work?
- Use built in function on handheld scanner to call all bags that are day 10 or day 14, or set your own custom interval.
- All identified bags blink and beep making it simple to rapidly pull those bags for return to stock.
How does SimpLED help with de-facto med-sync?
If you put all prescriptions from each patient into one bag, you effectively create med-sync when patient comes to pickup. This can also be a reminder to your team to sync them in your pharmacy system, and/or for your team to ask patients if they want to try compliance packaging.
How does this system know what’s linked to the sensor?
Each sensor has a unique QR code. You need to generate a unique barcode for each prescription or each patient. We find that it works well to have your pharmacy system generate a simple 1D barcode of patient’s first few letters of last name and date of birth and link this to the sensor QR code. Then when the patient comes for pickup you simply ask last name and DOB and query this into the SimpLED scanner and the associated sensor in will call will light up.
My store’s will-call is packed, how do I find the sensor easily?
In addition to several bright green LEDs, each sensor has a speaker that can be activated. So your team can hear the sensor beeping as an additional cue. SimpLED can also help consolidate multiple individual prescriptions from the same patient down into one bag/bin.
I don’t use bags or bins, can I use SimpLED?
As long as you can clip or attach the sensor you can use SimpLED. So, you could clip it to compliance packaging or other form factors, or remove the clip and attach the sensor directly to a surface.
Is systems integration required?
No. To improve simplicity, security, and cost, there is no integration with POS or pharmacy systems or your wireless network. The handheld scanner is fully self-contained and has intuitive software to link, call, day 10/14, and un-link, and communicates directly with the LED sensors. Even if you lose power, the system operates off batteries.
Is SimpLED "integrated" with my pharmacy management system?
SimpLED is logically-integrated with your pharmacy system, but is not directly integrated through an API. Your pharmacy management system creates a prescription ID and also a unique patient identifier. That unique patient identifier is printed on your ticket and SimpLED maintains a link between the unique patient identifier and a unique sensor tag QR code. In summary SimpLED links a sensor to a patient and your system links a patient to a prescription.
Are their other tips and tricks to checkout faster using SimpLED?
Yes. SimpLED will help you quickly pick a patient's items from will call and bring back to the point of sale. Then using the scanner attached to your point of sale computer, read one of the prescription barcodes in the bag to pull that patient up inside the point of sale system and proceed straight to checkout.
How often do I need to change the batteries on the sensors?
The CR2032 button style battery in each sensor can last 1-5 years. Batteries are available in bulk and can be replaced by opening up each sensor tag.
Can I put the sensors in the refrigerator?
Yes, but we find it’s preferable to teach your team which prescriptions they can find in the refrigerator since these tend to be more valuable and managing the cold chain is important. At cold temperatures the electrolyte in the battery can have degraded performance and inside the closed door you might not hear the speaker.
How do I calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?
The total cost of ownership is simply the sum of the cost of the scanner and the sensors, or use the calculator on the Products page.
Can I deduct the cost of SimpLED?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July 2025, allows eligible businesses to fully deduct the cost of computers and other qualifying equipment in the year they are purchased and put into service.
How do I calculate the Return on Investment (ROI)?
See the calculator on the Products page. Multiply the number of prescriptions you fill each year time the amount of time saved in will call times a blended hourly rate for technicians to manage will call as well as the time for those occasional prescriptions you can’t find or get lost, add the amount of time saved in day 10/14 return to stock. For example, for will call time saved =50,000 Rx/year * 20 seconds saved/Rx * $25/hour blended labor rate = $6944. Daily day 10/14 return to stock = 15 Rx/day * 365 days * $25/h blended labor rate = $570. The sum of this is $7515. So every year a pharmacy with 50,000 Rx will save about $7500, plus free up the team for higher value activities. If the cost of the scanner and sensors to manage 50,000 Rx is $10,000, then early in year 2 and from that point forward the investment will pay your store about $7500/year in savings on cost of labor alone. Want some help making that calculation for your store - drop us a line!
Why don’t you charge a yearly subscription?
We developed SimpLED to be a best-in-class solution for retail pharmacies to adopt computer-aided will call automation. We understand exactly the financial pressures and complexity pharmacies are facing, so we did not want to overly complicate the solution or needlessly increase pricing.
Do you offer financing?
Not directly but the cost of SimpLED can be deducted and we offer a no risk one month evaluation that acts like a two month financing plan.
How does the no risk 30 day evaluation work?
Pay half down and we'll help you setup and trial SimpLED for a month. If you want to keep it, pay the other half. If you do not want to keep it, return all of the components for a full refund. Contact sales to get started today.
Do you provide any product warranties or replacement?
The scanner and the sensor tags are quite robust. We also provide an annual replacement plan: for $1000 per year we will replace a broken scanner and up to 50 failed sensors, a $2000 value. Contact support for more details.