3 Must-Have Features For Successful Specimen Delivery
How emerging technology is transforming the medical courier industry.
Anyone can deliver something from one location to another; the million dollar question is how efficiently can they do it? However, the real challenge for most clinical delivery companies is the variety of items being delivered and the specific handling rules for those types.
If it were merely a matter of delivering round pegs into round holes, anyone could do it. But when customers are requesting a van load pegs in all colors, shapes, and sizes be accurately delivered into specific holes, a bit more precision is required.
Because of this reality, the real value for specimen delivery revolves around the following key elements:
Providing Line Item Validation
Simply telling a lab that your driver delivered “some items” is like your bank saying you have “some money.” There are certain areas of life were specifics make all the difference.
The real win in specimen delivery is the ability to provide validation down to the actual item level. By identifying specific item types with unique IDs, specimen delivery can move from vague uncertainty to absolute assurance as drivers are prevented from delivering items at invalid locations through pre-defined business rules and integrated barcode logic. This level of detail allows specimen delivery companies to confirm they have successfully delivered a specific item type to the proper location, lab or department. This is a must-have process for specimen delivery.
Defining and Enforcing Delivery Destination
A closely related, but slightly nuanced aspect of this is the ability to provide destination validation for delivery items. Successful specimen delivery companies are now ensuring that handling instructions are accurately followed by enforcing delivery destinations for certain items picked up by a driver. These destinations can be set through pre-defined business rules and established at the route, stop and item type level.
This added layer of business logic is just one more way forward-thinking delivery companies are differentiating themselves from their competitors and providing superior service to their customers.
True Container Tracking
Consolidation and organization within containers is a common practice within specimen delivery. The unfortunate side of container delivery is unloading an entire container to scan individual items and complete the chain of custody process. This load/unload process can be a severe time waster and the weak point in efficient delivery.
However, by using a proper container tracking solution that allows drivers to merely scan the container and still maintain the chain of custody of the individual contents through transfers, deliveries, or secure handoffs is a real game changer. This is the sort of technology that is transforming specimen delivery and something that every delivery logistics company should be working towards obtaining.