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Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services

Healthcare Logistics & Supply Chain Management: Improving Coordination and Transport

Healthcare faces extraordinary pressure to offer excellent customer service, handle material, and proper inventory management while working on cost savings. Transport of supplies between sister hospitals or medical centers has become increasingly common to help in improving healthcare services. Many organizations are looking to improve their supply chain for effective coordination and transportation of medical supplies between hospitals. Managing the supply chain is a highly complex and fragmented process in healthcare. The healthcare supply chain management goes through several sectors involving getting resources, delivering goods and services to sister hospitals, and managing supplies.

The physical goods movement involves independent stakeholders, insurance companies, hospitals, manufacturers, providers, and regulatory agencies.

Promoting all these processes can substantially affect the organizations’ budget. Here we look at the complexity of transportation medical resources between sister hospitals. We also cover the various ways to overcome these challenges with reliable medically trained third-party supply chain services.

What is Healthcare Supply Chain Management?

Medical providers use various items that are very delicate. The most common things are prescription drugs, syringes, gloves, papers, pens, and computers. Typically, employees are the ones responsible for the stock of goods and managing the inventory. Managing the supply chain is not simple, and with high customer expectations, employees require more time to take care of their customers.

Healthcare supply chain management starts at the manufacturer, where production begins, and finished products are sent to distribution centers. Depending on the product type, the hospitals will require an inventory directly from the manufacturer or distributor.

The distribution centers will then send the medical products to the healthcare organization, which stocks goods into inventory for patients and providers. To ensure providers are never left without essential medical products and patients have access to potentially life-saving tools, hospitals share these products with other hospitals.

Another aspect of the healthcare supply chain is regulatory agencies like the Federal Drug Administration and Medicare and private health insurance companies. The regulatory agencies determine if all resources are fit for consumer use.

Why is Healthcare Supply Chain Management So Complex?

Healthcare supply chain management is unique as every stakeholder has specific interests to protect. Each stage in the supply chain flow has a different goal that stakeholders want to achieve. Providers also like particular products that are effective for the best services. It is also best to get these products at the most affordable option without compromising quality.

Supply chain goals don’t align with an organization, making most healthcare management processes inefficient and fragmented. Organizations must also focus on the numerous requests and viewpoints to settle product budgets.

Customizations in healthcare are critical. Patients now have a voice about what they need, and organizations should provide them when required. Depending on the health status of the patients, you may need to get unique products such as latex-free gloves.  

Any misaligned incentives or independent goals will disrupt the workflow of your healthcare organizations. Overcoming these challenges requires effective collaboration with reliable third-party deliveries for fast and cost-effective deliveries.  

Overcome Common Challenges in Healthcare Supply Chain Management With Third-Party Providers

Most healthcare organizations have found success with third-party delivery providers. With an effective supply chain, you can improve the delivery of your healthcare service. Managing these complex supply chains is not easy, but a reliable third-party delivery provider will reduce the complexity and make it more efficient.

Here are some ways you can benefit from using third-party deliveries.  

Use Technology and Analytics to Make Operations Run Smoother

Healthcare executives rely on effective technologies to support their supply chain. These require new investments and a team. It may be hard to purchase the new technologies and pay new employees. Third-party delivery providers use technologies supported by solid analytics to make deliveries more practical.

Effective data analytics and automation tools are essential to simplifying supply chain management while giving valuable insights to improve operations. Healthcare organizations require accurate data and effective analytics to transform the supply chain into a strategic business asset. Technological solutions enable you to connect to the everyday process and make all data visible.

With third-party services, you focus more on technology and automation to prevent financial waste and support a transparent and data-driven choice.

Improved Order Accuracy and Order Cycle Times to Lower Costs

Most healthcare providers struggle with large error rates due to the complex ordering and delivery process. When you order the wrong products, it will result in a loss of revenue, and you may not get the right products to deliver expert services. Ordering errors lead to serious medical errors, leading to poor health outcomes.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), most errors that affect your orders at the ordering or transcribing stage result in severe inpatient medical errors. Providers need to improve their ordering accuracy to eliminate these risks.

Third-party delivery providers offer accurate deliveries and reduce time wasted when reordering the correct product. They help healthcare organizations have order controls in place to improve supply efficiencies.

Get Effective Inventory Management

Most manufacturers struggle with moving inventory oversupply chains fast. Other medical products require usage almost immediately and may expire after a short while. It will lead to a loss of revenue, and profit margins will be hurt. It is crucial to managing the inventory process effectively to minimize losses.

When an organization lacks a good capital equipment management system, it can add significant losses to cause the underutilization of all existing equipment during ordering. You can achieve this using a reliable third-party delivery provider who understands the process of inventory. They will figure out how to create effective cooperation and maximize productivity.

Collaboration is also effective for successful inventory management. Suppliers and delivery providers will work together to ensure all medical providers get their products and use them before expiry. The potential for costs is also significantly reduced.

Partner With Medi-Ops for Effective Medical Logistics and Transportation Organization

Medi-Ops offers reliable technology for medical logistics to bring a unique and innovative perspective to medical supply chains. Our goal is to revolutionize the industry by improving our team culture of innovation and compassion. We have friendly dispatchers working 24 hours every day with state-of-the-art software and a network of operators to best suit your needs. Contact us today for a consultation.

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Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services

Your Guide to Using Medical Courier Services During Emergency Situations

If you’re like most people, you probably only think about medical courier services when you need one. However, there are times when it can be incredibly useful – even lifesaving.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common emergencies where a medical courier service can be helpful, and we’ll explain what makes this service unique.

What is a Medical Courier Service and What Do They Do?

Medical couriers are a vital part of the medical community. They provide a service that is often necessary during emergencies. Their job is to transport medical supplies and equipment, including blood products and organs, between hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. They can also provide transportation for patients who need to be moved to another facility for treatment.

How Can I Tell if a Situation Requires Emergent Status?

There are a few things to consider when determining if a situation is an emergency. One of the most important things to consider is the safety of the patients and medical personnel. Here are a few other factors to look for:

  • A shortage of blood in an OR or ER: In cases of severe blood shortages, every second counts. Emergent transportation may be necessary to get additional blood to the hospital as quickly as possible.
  • A need for an emergency organ transplant: When an organ becomes available for transplant, it must get to the recipient as soon as possible. Emergency transportation may be necessary to ensure that the organ arrives in time.
  • A blood transfusion that needs to be done quickly: In some cases, a blood transfusion may need to be done urgently. Emergency transportation after a blood donation can help to ensure that the blood arrives at the hospital as quickly as possible.

If you are unsure if a situation requires emergent status, please contact your local medical courier service. They can help you assess the situation and determine what steps need to be taken.

How Does Medical Courier Service Work?

Medical courier service generally works by sending a driver to pick up the medical items from the hospital or other location. The driver then transports the items to their destination. This can be done via car, truck, or plane. In some cases, they may also offer delivery services that can be helpful in cases where the recipient is not located near a hospital.

Benefits of Using a Medical Courier Service During an Emergency Situation

There are many benefits to using a medical courier service during an emergency. Some of the most critical include:

  • Experience and expertise: Medical courier services have experience transporting medical supplies and equipment in emergencies. This experience can be invaluable when time is of the essence.
  • Quick response time: Medical courier services can often respond quickly to emergencies. This can be critical when every second counts.
  • Lights and sirens transportation: In some cases, medical courier services offer transportation accompanied by lights and sirens. They can help get medical supplies and equipment to their destination as quickly as possible.
  • Reliable service: Medical courier services are often reliable and can be counted on in times of crisis, which can be critical when time is of the essence.
  • Comprehensive coverage: Medical courier services have comprehensive coverage, which means they can service a wide area.
  • Special access: They have access to unique transportation methods, such as planes and helicopters, that can transport medical goods quickly and safely.
  • Good network: They often have a network of hospitals and other medical facilities to rely on for support. This can be helpful in cases where an organ needs to be transported to a distant location.
  • They offer a 24/7 service: This means that they are available at all times to help transport medical goods.
  • Peace of mind for patients and their families: Knowing that critical medical items are being transported quickly and safely can help to reduce stress in difficult situations.

What are the Risks Involved in Using a Medical Courier Service?

There are no significant risks involved in using a medical courier service. However, it is essential to choose a reputable and reliable company. Make sure to do your research and ask for referrals from friends and family.

Characteristics of a reliable medical courier service include:

  • A good reputation: Look for a medical courier service that has a good reputation, which means that they have a history of providing quality service and being reliable.
  • Licensed and insured: Ensure that the medical courier service is licensed and insured to help to protect you in case something goes wrong during transport.
  • Experience in the medical field: The company should have experience transporting medical supplies and equipment in emergencies.
  • Quick response time: The company should respond quickly to emergencies.

How Can I Find a Medical Courier Service?

There are many ways to find a medical courier service. One of the best ways is to ask your doctor or hospital for recommendations. You can also check your local phone directory or do a Google search for “medical courier service” or “emergency medical courier service.” Visit the medical courier service’s website for contact information, and be sure to read reviews before making a decision.

You will need to contact them and provide information about the items you need to transport and the destination. They will then work with you to create a plan for getting the items to their destination safely and quickly.

If you are in a situation where you need to transport blood products, organs, or other medical supplies, a medical courier service can be a lifesaver. They have the experience and expertise necessary to get these items where they need to go quickly and safely. In some cases, they may even offer transportation with lights and sirens to ensure that the supplies arrive as quickly as possible.

Contact Medi-Ops for Medical Courier Services

If you require a medical courier service, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Medi-Ops. We offer a wide range of transportation services, including lights and siren transport, that can help get your medical supplies to their destination safely and quickly. We have experience in the medical field and know how to handle emergencies. To help you in your time of need, we are available 24/7.

Contact us today for a consultation.

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Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Ambulance Services, Flight Services

Spinal Injury Patients: How to Ensure Safe Transportation

Transporting patients with spine or spinal cord injuries can be a painful and complicated process, especially if the transport is uncurated. Before being admitted to a specialty care center, individuals with acute spinal cord injuries (SCI) must make repeated transfers between rooms, wards, and departments, or even between other hospitals. The goal is to maintain full spinal alignment throughout any movement and handling activities if there is a reasonable suspicion of acute SCI. On every occasion, gentle handling, positioning, and turning can prevent or greatly minimize patient pain and discomfort. It also lowers the risk of skin injury and secondary spinal cord injuries. Here is all you need to know about the transportation of spinal injury patients.

How to Identify a Spinal Injury Patient?

Do not move the person if you suspect a back or neck (spinal) injury. Permanent paralysis and other significant consequences are possible outcomes. Assume a person has a spinal injury if they have any of the following symptoms:

  • There is evidence of a brain injury, as well as a change in the person’s state of consciousness over time.
  • The person is in excruciating agony in his or her neck or back.
  • A significant amount of force has been applied to the back or head as a result of an injury.
  • The person feels weak, numb, or paralyzed, and can’t control his or her limbs, bladder, or intestines.
  • The neck or body is twisted or positioned unusually.

What to Do, if You Suspect Someone to Have a Spinal Injury?

  • Seek immediate medical assistance.
  • Maintain the person’s stillness: To prevent movement, place heavy towels or rolled sheets on both sides of the neck, or keep the head and neck in place.
  • Move your head and neck as little as possible: As much first aid as you can while keeping the person’s head and neck still. Begin CPR if there are no signs of circulation (breathing, coughing, or movement), but do not tilt the head back to access the airway. Gently grab the jaw with your fingers and lift it forward. Start chest compressions if the subject has no pulse.
  • Wear your helmet at all times: Remove the helmet if the person is wearing one. If you need to get to the inside of a football helmet, remove the facemask.
  • Don’t go at it alone: You’ll need at least one other person if you have to roll the individual because he or she is vomiting, choking on blood, or you need to make sure the person is still breathing. Work together to keep the wounded person’s head, neck, and back aligned while rolling them to one side, with one of you at the head and the other at the injured person’s side.

Transporting Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries

Patients who have sustained a serious spinal cord injury may require months of treatment and rehabilitation at spinal cord injury hospitals and treatment facilities. These facilities could be rather far away from the hospital where the patient received their initial treatment. After the patient has been stabilized, MediOps services are the best option for transporting the patient to a new treatment center that is several hours away. To ensure effective transportation, your means of transport should be customized with the following:

1. Firm, Cushioned Surface for Support

The restraints must be firm enough to allow cardiopulmonary resuscitation to be administered, and they must be adjustable to reduce patient movement during transport and side-to-side rotation.

2. Side-to-Side Rotation

The mode of conveyance should allow for side-to-side surface rotation, which is beneficial in reducing pulmonary, cardiovascular, and skin breakdown issues.

3. Trendelenburg/Reverse Trendelenburg

The patient’s head or feet should be able to be elevated and lowered 15 degrees.

4. Integrated Traction

Shall be engineered to sustain consistent force traction when the surface rotates side-to-side, with traction levels ranging from O-65 pounds in 5-pound increments. Traction will be provided for the cervical spine, upper and lower extremities, and will be independent of acceleration.

5. Patient Accessibility

Medical workers must be able to administer routine and emergency nursing care with ease. The surface must allow access to the occipital, thoracic, and rectal areas so that patient care can be performed without removing the patient from the surface or jeopardizing the spine’s stability and alignment.

6. The Radiolucent Surface

Must be built to allow X-rays of the patient’s complete spinal column, chest, and lower abdomen without removing the patient from the surface.

7. Vacuum Mattresses Are Comfortable for Spinal Injury Patients

They reduce tissue interface pressure during the transportation of patients.

8. Spinal Board

A spine board makes it easy to transfer a spinal injury patent from an ambulance stretcher. You might consider having a spinal board while transporting a patient. A patient can be placed on a spine board in a variety of ways. The technique employed will be determined by the amount of space available and the patient’s position inside that space. Throughout the process, use a c-collar or manual cervical in-line stabilization to avoid spinal compression or traction. The patient can be slid onto the backboard, feet first or head first, for lengthwise extrication, such as from a vehicle seat. 

During this procedure, the patient must be moved as a whole. Place one end of the backboard on the automobile’s seat or doorsill. At least two other rescuers move the patient’s body onto the board while one stabilizes the opposite end of the board. 

To preserve neurological function and prevent further injury from spinal instability, it is critical to reducing unintentional spinal motion during transportation of patients with cervical spine injuries.  A variety of transportation methods can be used to deliver injured people to the nearest definitive care facility. The form of transportation chosen is determined by the patient’s overall medical condition, the distance to the next capable facility, and the resources available.

Why Choose Us?

Medi-Ops offers medical services that you can trust. We are a technology-enabled medical logistics and transportation company that brings a fresh approach to medical supply chains. Our objective is to reinvent the business by harnessing our team’s culture of creativity and compassion; producing a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable industry. Our experience is in planning and coordinating all elements of medical transportation, both emergency and non-emergent.  This includes both air and ground medical couriers, ambulance transportation, NEMT transportation, and various professional services. If you need to customize your transportation, contact us today!

Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Ambulance Services, Courier Services, Flight Services

An Overview of AI-Powered Medical Logistics

In modern healthcare, timely and accurate patient transport is critical to achieving positive patient outcomes. However, coordinating transport between providers, facilities, patients, and choosing the best routes and transport methods can be challenging. 

As the adoption of AI in healthcare helps streamline medical processes and increase efficiency, machine learning algorithms are being used to manage the complex medical logistics surrounding patient transport.

Manual scheduling for medical transport can be a time-consuming and often frustrating process. Scheduling professionals in the patient transport industry spend hours each week compiling transport requests from dozens of care providers, assessing weather conditions and traffic patterns, coordinating with hospital staff to ensure patient readiness for transport, and choosing the appropriate means of transport based on patient needs. 

AI-powered medical logistics takes much of this burden off healthcare organizations by managing transportation scheduling, routing, and coordination in one interface. Read on to learn how Medi-Ops is helping organizations increase efficiency when coordinating patient transport.

Who Are Medi-Ops?

Efficient scheduling and coordination of patient transport are essential to the health of patients, caregivers, and healthcare organizations. Medi-Ops is a technology-enabled medical logistics and transportation organization that manages the complex coordination of patient transport or medical courier services for a variety of healthcare organizations. 

To provide a better medical logistics experience for patients, caregivers, and providers, Medi-Ops has developed multiple algorithm-driven solutions to help with the transport coordination process. 

We use several inputs related to specific transport services such as patient condition and shipment urgency and leverage AI and deep machine learning to optimize transport selection. 

Our expert dispatchers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and highly experienced to coordinate emergent and non-emergent medical transportation, including NEMT transportation, ground, and air medical couriers, unmanned aerial services, and ambulance transportation.

What is the Importance of Machine Learning and AI in Medical Logistics?

With AI already being rolled out in the healthcare industry to perform robotic surgeries, precision medicine, and streamline medical billing and coding, it is no surprise that AI is catching on in other parts of the healthcare organization. Medical logistics is one aspect of healthcare that AI is positively impacting.

Every day, healthcare professionals are tasked with completing necessary medical transports that range from assisting patients with rehabilitation needs to transferring unstable and critical patients from one medical facility to another. 

Efficient coordination of timely patient transport is key to the success of patient outcomes, caregiver satisfaction, and healthcare organizations. A manual, spreadsheet-driven approach to planning medical logistics is time-consuming and often results in errors due to the complex coordination necessary for patient transport. 

At Medi-Ops, we use deep machine learning and other AI technologies to provide a more efficient means of coordinating patient transport. This helps ensure patient safety and caregiver satisfaction while increasing the healthcare organization’s efficiency.

How Does Medi-Ops Ensure Reliable Medical Logistics?

Reliable medical logistics in the healthcare industry is increasingly important in today’s complex healthcare environment. At Medi-Ops, we strive to provide efficient medical logistics coordination, accurate patient routing information, and quick dispatch to ensure accurate patient transport. 

We have leveraged artificial intelligence and deep machine learning to ensure reliable medical logistics. The Medi-Ops proprietary dispatch system accesses multiple data sets, including patient condition, the urgency of transport, flight availability, weather conditions, traffic patterns, and more, to determine the best means of transport. 

This helps to eliminate inefficiencies and increase the accuracy of patient transport. AI and deep machine learning algorithms also manage real-time routing and coordination of all transport services and updates to patient status and care information. 

What Kind of Data Does Medi-Ops Collect?

To provide accurate patient transport, Medi-Ops collects a variety of data that is used by our AI-powered medical logistics system. Some of the data we collect include:

  • Patient condition – what is the overall status of the patient? Is the patient injured? Do they have any breathing complications or need to be monitored by a doctor in transit? This will help select the best transport mode to ensure the patient receives the appropriate level of care.
  • Patient location – where is the patient located, and can they safely get to the destination point? Is the location accessible by road? What is the traffic like in that area? How long will it take to get the patient safely to the destination point at their current condition?
  • The urgency of shipment – how soon does the transport need to happen? Emergencies, non-emergents, or somewhere in between. How quickly do we have to get the patient from point A to point B?
  • Medical transport needs – what type of transport is necessary for this particular patient? What does the condition and destination need? What is the best-suited mode of transport?
  • Weather conditions – are there any weather conditions in the area that might affect transport? Are there high winds, heavy rain, or other inclement weather that could make transportation unsafe?

Once the Medi-Ops dispatchers have this information, we can work with our medical transportation network to determine the most efficient and safe transport option for the patient and medical staff. We monitor all orders 24/7 and ensure that patient and caregiver safety is always the top priority.

Get Started with Medi-Ops

There are many benefits for healthcare organizations by using AI to manage patient transport logistics, including reduced passenger wait times, proactive notification of patient status, and real-time updates from the field so that providers can stay informed. 

Machine learning and AI technologies have allowed Medi-Ops to develop a more efficient transportation dispatch system that ensures safer, more reliable patient transport. Medi-Ops is a leader in patient transport coordination for hospitals and medical groups, using our expertise to improve the patient experience. By leveraging AI and deep learning algorithms, we can provide the best medical transport solutions to ensure efficient medical courier, inter-facility transfers, and optimize the best route for evacuation and emergency transport. To learn more about how Medi-Ops can help your organization, book a demo with one of our expert coordinators.

Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Blood Bank, Courier Services, Flight Services

Next Flight Out (NFO) White Paper

Last weekend, one of our blood banks in Denver, Colorado required us to transport blood to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. Typically a 5h41m transport, mudslides in Colorado had caused a variety of road closures between Denver and Colorado, increasing transport times to almost 7 hours. This would have bumped the transport price to over $800. Given the ramifications of the patient who needed blood, we needed to find another option. 

As an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC), designated by the TSA, DHS, and FAA, Medi-Ops is honored to be able to provide Next Flight Out (NFO) services for our clients. Utilizing NFO allows us to ship blood, organs, and other human specimens via commercial airlines and our private network of operators. This service allows us to save even more lives while lowering costs for our clients.

Instead of driving the blood, we evaluated multiple flights and their cost effectiveness, while also considering time implications. Including the flight (scheduled through our NFO abilities), and the ground transport costs, we were able to lower the cost to 43% of the original ground transportation. We were also able to save hours of time, benefiting the patients in Grand Junction, and increasing access to care. 

This service is often a fantastic alternative to longer transports of a variety of time requirements. Because we are an IAC, you can contact us to verify a known shipper. You also will have access to our 24/7 dispatch center, our unique algorithms, our private network of operators, and cost savings of this method of transport. We are also able to support your organization in its process of becoming a known shipper, or we can help ship unknown cargo.

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