Retail Management Solutions (RMS) has developed a portable cash register designed for use in retail and hospital pharmacies. According to the company, the new product, EvolutionPOS, is the first product of its kind.

RMS has bundled all core point-of-sale functions into a single, handheld wireless terminal that is 8.5 inches long and weighs less than a pound. The unit provides the functionality of a standalone cash register, including a barcode scanner, payment card terminal, receipt printer, and signature-capture pad. The portable register will also track sales of pseudoephedrine products and controlled substances and provide immediate clearance of FSA-eligible items.

“In retail pharmacies this will add efficiency and enhance the customer experience,” says Brad Jones, president and CEO of RMS. In hospitals, he notes, it will enable pharmacies to deliver discharge prescriptions to patients’ rooms before discharge. “This has tremendous potential to reverse the trend of hospitalized patients leaving without the medications they need,” he says.

Jones points out that retailers in many categories are adding portable data and checkout terminals, but many rely on consumer-level technologies, such as smart phones and tablet computers. “We built EvolutionPOS on enterprise-grade hardware and application technologies to ensure that we meet or exceed the security, recordkeeping, and regulatory requirements under which pharmacists operate,” Jones says.