Industry: Healthcare / Medical Distribution
Engagement Type: Custom Software Development
Stack: Laravel · Filament PHP · MySQL · Stripe · QuickBooks Integration
The Client
Our client is a specialty distributor of biological wound-care products, supplying healthcare providers and management service organizations (MSOs) across multiple regions. Their products are regulated, serialized, and tied directly to patient care documentation, making off-the-shelf software a non-starter.
The Problem
Before engaging us, the client was managing their operations through a patchwork of spreadsheets, email threads, and disconnected tools. As their provider network and product catalog grew, this created a cascade of operational problems:
No single source of truth for inventory: serial numbers were tracked manually, leading to discrepancies between what was shipped and what was on hand.
Patient documentation was fragmented: wound care records, clinical assessments, and prior authorization statuses lived in separate systems with no linkage to orders.
Commission calculations were error-prone. With tiered and override structures across a growing sales team, reconciliation at month-end was a time-consuming manual process.
Providers had no self-service portal, meaning all order submissions and patient lookups required back-and-forth with the internal team.
Returns were untracked because there was no formal RMA process, making inventory restocking inconsistent.
They needed a purpose-built platform that could handle the intersection of regulated products, patient care, and multi-party business relationships.
The Solution
We designed and built a fully custom order management platform tailored to the specifics of biologics distribution. The system is built on Laravel with a Filament PHP admin panel, giving us a robust, extensible foundation with rich UI components out of the box without sacrificing the customization the client required.
The platform runs two distinct interfaces from a single codebase:
Admin Panel for internal staff, covering the full operational surface.
Provider Portal: a streamlined, role-appropriate interface for healthcare providers and MSOs to manage their own patients and orders.
How It Started: A Phased Approach
We didn't build the entire ecosystem on day one. The project began with a highly focused, initial objective: to create a secure, simple order form for providers. By delivering this immediate value quickly, we eliminated the chaotic email submissions and gave providers a reliable way to interact with the distributor.
As the company grew and the sheer volume of orders exposed bottlenecks in other operational areas, the platform organically expanded. Because we established a solid foundation with Laravel, we were able to seamlessly iterate and bolt on complex modules, like serialized inventory, returns processing, and automated commissions, transforming a simple order portal into an enterprise-grade ERP.
Key Capabilities Delivered
Multi-Tenant Provider Network
The system supports multiple teams (practices/MSOs) with strict data isolation. Role-based access (from Super Admin down to Sales Rep, Provider, and MSO) ensures each user sees only what they should, enforced at the database query level via global scopes.
Serialized Inventory Management
Every product unit is tracked by serial number from receiving through patient application. The system supports both divisible and non-divisible inventory types, warehouse location management, and inter-location transfer requests. Inventory counts update automatically as orders are placed and as returns are processed.
Patient & Clinical Documentation
Providers submit structured pre-application forms that include clinical data: wound etiology, nutritional assessments, diabetic indicators, infection status, debridement records, and more. The system calculates a completion percentage in real time and surfaces missing fields, keeping submissions on track before they reach the clinical review queue. Prior authorization status flows directly into the order eligibility logic.
RMA / Returns Processing
We built a full return merchandise authorization (RMA) workflow into the platform. Return requests are created against specific orders and line items, move through a status lifecycle (Pending → Authorized → In Transit → Received → Closed), and upon receipt, automatically trigger inventory restocking. This replaced an entirely manual email-based process.
Commission Engine
The commission system handles significant complexity: tiered rate structures, straight commissions, fixed-dollar and percentage-based payouts, and a hierarchy of override commissions for sales managers. Commissions are calculated per order item, attached to payment slips, and exportable for payroll. A recalculation command allows retroactive corrections when rates change.
Payment & Financial Tracking
Payment slips aggregate multiple payments per customer, with balance tracking, due date management, and PDF receipt generation. QuickBooks export support was built in to fit the client's existing accounting workflow. Payment transfers between slips handle edge cases like consolidated billing scenarios.
PDF Document Generation
The platform generates all necessary operational documents: packing slips, invoices, purchase orders, payment receipts, commission receipts, and transfer packing slips. All documents are branded and formatted to the client's specifications.
URL Shortening for Shareable Forms
A lightweight internal URL shortener allows staff to generate short, expiring links to patient pre-application forms. This makes it easy to send providers a direct link without exposing internal route structures.
Technical Highlights
Framework: Laravel (latest stable)
Admin UI: Filament PHP (dual-panel: Admin + Provider Portal)
Permissions: Spatie Laravel-Permission (RBAC)
Activity Logging: Spatie Activity Log (full audit trail)
File Storage: Spatie Media Library
Billing: Laravel Cashier + Stripe
Commission Math: Custom service layer with tiered and override logic
RMA Workflow: Transactional DB operations via dedicated RmaService
Imports: Bulk MSO order and order item import services
Exports: QuickBooks-compatible data exports + PDF generation
Architecture: Multi-tenant with team-scoped global database scopes
Outcome
The platform consolidated every major operational workflow (inventory, orders, patient documentation, commissions, and returns) into a single system. Providers now self-serve through the portal, reducing administrative load on the internal team. Commission reconciliation went from a multi-day manual effort to an automated, on-demand report. Inventory discrepancies were eliminated through serialized tracking tied directly to patient applications.
The client launched with their existing provider network and has continued to expand the platform as their business grows, with new product lines and regional teams onboarded without architectural changes.
Interested in a custom solution for your distribution or healthcare operations? Get in touch.