Courier services play a critical role in medical supply chain management by ensuring the timely and efficient delivery of medical supplies, equipment, and samples. Here are six ways in which they fulfill this role:
Speed and Efficiency
In the healthcare field (and almost every industry and vertical supply chain these days), time is mission-critical and margins are razor thin. Shipments must reach their destination on-time and at the lowest cost possible. Therefore, scalable operations and route optimization are essential in making this happen.
MMS utilizes a network of over 200 professionally trained independent contract couriers. This integrated team of committed professionals cover some 30,000 miles per day throughout the Pacific Northwest. Those 30,000 miles include 218 routes and over 2,500 stops involving nearly 200 cities, towns and villages. Many of which are hard to reach rural, mountainous, or coastal locations.
For this reason, the MMS Courier business model is designed for maximum flexibility. Thus, it allows for fast and efficient scale-up or scale-down based on your delivery needs and volume. Creating the ideal win-win situation for you and the independent contractors that diligently see that your deliveries are completed safely, securely, and on time. As a result, the MMS Courier 98% on-time delivery standard proves that that model is mutually rewarding.
At the same time MMS provides leading-edge e-courier shipment management technology. The customizable software gives you real-time tracking of all shipments. Moreover, it allows you, the driver, or the MMS operations and dispatch team to automatically alter a route due to road closures, potential traffic impediments, inclement weather, or to add a stop or change a location. And when human intervention is required, MMS dispatch is available 24/7/365.
Temperature-Controlled Deliveries
Temperature-controlled shipments involve items that must remain within a specific temperature range during transit. Medical supplies, vaccines, foods, flowers, and other pharmaceutical items are often shipped via this method. MMS Courier provides specialized temperature-controlled options to ensure the integrity of your shipments.
But temperature-controlled shipments may also refer to protecting cargo from extreme weather conditions. In the Pacific Northwest—Oregon, Idaho, and Washington—weather can shift drastically without warning. For example, a route that takes your cargo through freezing cold mountainous conditions could require specialized treatment. The same goes for moist or humid conditions in coastal areas. Or taking steps to avoid summer heat. Protecting your shipment is always job one.
Special Handling
Some medical supplies, such as hazardous materials or fragile equipment, require special handling during transportation. MMS Courier professionally trained independent contract drivers are trained and equipped to handle such items safely.
Chain of Custody
Our team facilitates the sharing of important information about patient health and well-being. This responsibility is a priority. MMS policies and procedures ensure chain of custody documentation is protected and accurate.
In the case of sensitive medical samples or documents, maintaining a secure chain of custody is crucial. In addition, MMS Courier provides customizable e-courier software for tracking and documenting all deliveries. Which puts you in control of the process from order entry to signed delivery confirmation. So you ensure items are securely handled and received from start to finish.
Customized Solutions
MMS Courier services offer customized solutions to meet the specific needs of medical supply chain management. This might include scheduled deliveries, route optimization, or specialized packaging. Or when urgent situations arise, on-demand deliveries of mission-critical, lifesaving medications or devices.
Here too scalability and route optimization are essential. Working with the logistics experts of MMS Courier enables you to develop scheduled routes that maximize fuel economy and minimize time. In this way you know the cost and estimated time of delivery for every shipment. Which means you can coordinate your operations and service delivery based on accurate and readily accessible information.
Remote and Rural Areas
Technology is a game changer in the logistics industry but experience should not be underestimated. MMS Courier independent contract drivers have deep knowledge of the roads and routes throughout the Pacific Northwest: city, suburban, rural, mountain, and coastline. They understand the nuances of the diverse terrain, traffic patterns and geographic challenges of the areas served and how to optimize each and every route.
This pairing of insight and leading-edge technology is essential when delivering medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and other items that impact a person’s health and well-being. Because some congested city locations are every bit as difficult to reach and gain access to as remote and rural areas where access to healthcare facilities may be limited.
Schedule a Delivery with MMS Courier
MMS Courier specializes in prompt and reliable deliveries. As a leading courier service in the Pacific Northwest—Washington, Idaho, and Oregon—MMS Courier gives you the agility, accessibility, and accuracy necessary for delivering reliable and trustworthy healthcare services.