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Cold Chain Dry Ice
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services

What are Cold Chain Logistics and Why are They Important?

Many medical products are susceptible to the elements – temperature, humidity, etc. That’s where cold chain logistics come in – a process managing the temperature and validity of sensitive products to maintain the product’s quality and safety from the point of origin to the final destination. The inability to transport products correctly can render them ineffective or even harmful to patients. Over $35 Billion in losses due to the mishandling of medical products occur every year. This shocking number can be reduced by implementing improved cold chain logistics and management.

Cold Chain Management – What Is It?

Vaccines, pharmaceuticals, medical specimens, and products typically have temperature requirements in storage and transportation processes. Temperature-controlled storage and distribution must be managed to uphold the integrity of these products. Generally, products either need to be frozen (5 degrees Fahrenheit or below) or chilled (35 to 47 degrees Fahrenheit). For example, plasma needs to be frozen in both storage and transportation while blood needs to be chilled. This is the same for many pharmaceuticals and other medical goods. While the specific requirements vary depending on the product, standards must be met to ensure preservation and effectiveness. The food industry has been utilizing temperature-controlled transportation options for years with refrigerated vehicles and containers, it’s the same for the medical industry. Specific vehicles, containers, and transportation practices are utilized depending on the requirements and needs of the product.

Another consideration in cold chain management is geographic guidelines and regulations. Depending on the country, state, or region of transportation, different requirements are issued by governmental organizations. These requirements affect containers, handling, vehicles, and shipment of medical products and must be followed in order to ensure safety measures and legal compliance.

The healthcare logistics industry is rapidly increasing, so cold chain management and logistics will continue to become a top priority for everyone involved in the medical industry – labs, medical product development organizations, healthcare providers, transportation and logistics services, and more. 

The Cold Chain Dilemma

All of these goods can be life-saving products, making their storage and transportation vital in creating efficient healthcare systems. Not only are there financial and environmental consequences in mishandling all of these products, but there are also real implications to a medical provider’s ability to provide effective patient care. Since ineffective cold chain logistics cost time and resources, investing time and energy into developing the highest levels of care and attention in cold chain systems is vital to the healthcare industry. If any disruption in temperature and handling occurs, the product could be damaged or spoiled permanently. This leads to a multitude of issues – financial and environmental impacts, reputation risk, ineffective or harmful products, loss of data, or regulatory action to name a few. 

Common factors that lead to damage to these products are…

  • Improper temperature environments for the product (too cold, too hot, allowing a product to freeze, etc.)
  • Light-exposure
  • Lack of attention to humidity and climate requirements
  • Shocks, vibrations, or dropping of packaging throughout any step of the handling, transportation, or storage process
  • Transportation delays

Challenges in medical transportation like delays, packaging failure, or incorrect handling are the main causes of product losses due to cold chain slip-ups. Extremely cold or hot days, humidity, or even the intensity of sunlight during transportation harm products and goods. Temperature and shelf-life are incredibly important in the storage and transportation process, creating no room for error. When transportation providers aren’t paying attention to these details, goods are damaged and everyone must deal with the consequences.

Solutions to Cold Chain Logistics Issues

Companies that deal with transporting medical products on a regular basis should have dedicated logistics providers in order to avoid all of these issues. In addition to a variety of ground and air transportation options, Medi-Ops deals with these issues through tracking software, a 24/7 dispatch center, an extensive team of operators, and an owned and managed fleet of ground vehicles staffed by medically qualified personnel. The key to cold chain logistics is time and temperature efficiency as well as consistent monitoring and tracking of products. No product should be lost or damaged due to mishandling. Combatting this dilemma of cold chain management issues, all of Medi-Ops operators are state background-checked, HIPAA-compliant, and uniformed to provide the highest level of security and to ensure each product is delivered on time and in perfect condition. In addition to properly vetted and reliable operators, the ability to utilize lights-and-sirens emergency transportation calls can also cut down time concerns for product transportation. The reliability and speed of Medi-Ops transportation with a specialty in time-sensitive and climate-controlled delivery can’t be beat and ensures quality, consistent care.

There is no doubt that cold chain logistics are important in the medical industry. In fact, that is an incredible understatement. Cold chain logistics are absolutely essential in the medical industry. The losses currently seen due to the mismanagement of products that require specific time and temperature regulations are unacceptable. With a growing medical industry and more products than ever having temperature requirements, having cold chain logistics partners such as Medi-Ops is increasingly essential to medical organizations and providers.

Blood Forward Square Logo
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Blood Bank

Medi-Ops Announces BloodForward – an Algorithm to Strengthen the U.S. Blood Supply

Medi-Ops, a technology-enabled medical logistics organization, is proud to announce the release of BloodForward, an algorithm specifically designed for the blood banking industry. BloodForward will be integrated into the Medi-Ops software platform, allowing organizations a new level of control over blood product distribution. BloodForward assists in the routing of ground and air transportation for human blood products while taking into consideration the unique circumstances surrounding blood shipments and the urgency based on patient condition.

For many years, the medical logistics industry has been taking a reactive approach to shipments; we believe this needs to change to a proactive approach. Organizations need to utilize data to learn how predictive models can strengthen the blood supply while reducing costs. BloodForward, in combination with the Medi-Ops software platform, facilitates this transition.

Organizations utilizing BloodForward will be able to ensure KPIs such as speed, reliability, and cost are optimized for and constantly evaluated. This prioritization of key KPIs will ensure the highest success rates while considering the blood products, patient requirements, and organization preferences.

Medi-Ops Lab Logistics
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services, Hospitals

Laboratory Logistics in Medical Transportation

Have you ever thought about how laboratories transport the particular, delicate materials they work with? These substances have extraordinarily specific requirements and needs when it comes to transportation. What are those requirements? How exactly does transportation like that work? And how does Medi-Ops step in to support and exceed those needs and expectations?

What do Medical Laboratories Do?

These labs focus on performing tests on different specimens and samples and reporting results back to physicians, hospitals, and other medical care providers. These tests are typically conducted on patient samples to support or determine treatment and care plans. Medical care providers rely on these lab tests for diagnosis, making them an essential part of patient care. These tests have a huge impact on treatment plans and the next steps for patients and doctors alike.

Labs see all kinds of samples, as any kind of body fluids or tissues can be sent to a lab for processing and testing. With these samples, lab technicians are mainly analyzing proteins and enzymes to determine the functionality of organ systems, assess blood cells for bacterial or viral infections, look for causes of infections, or determine blood types and compatibility. Over seven billion clinical lab tests are performed each year, making this process and the success of medical labs that much more critical in the medical field.

Laboratory Needs and Requirements

Depending on the materials or samples being transported between hospitals, labs, or medical centers, different criteria must be met in order to ensure the highest levels of safety and efficient transportation.

  1. Temperature: Many samples have time or temperature requirements attached to their storage and transportation needs. Proper handling and transportation are critical in ensuring the viability of these products. Typically medical specimens such as blood work, body fluid samples, biopsies or infectious samples, and even organ and tissue shipments require storage and transportation in temperature-controlled environments. This is achieved through containers and vehicles in addition to close monitoring of products.
  2. Time: A time-sensitive medical transport can be required due to an urgent need for the product, specimen, or sample or because of the expiration date of the product being transported. There is always an expiration time on these products that needs to be strictly followed in order to maintain product integrity.
  3. Sterile Materials: Another common need in medical lab transportation is sterile instruments and equipment. Labs need sterile equipment for obvious reasons, and creating transportation options that don’t compromise the integrity of these products is essential for labs to conduct all of the testing and work required of them. 
  4. Hazardous Materials: Hazardous or radioactive materials can come up often in the medical world. Research facilities and labs can need transportation of biohazard materials which requires meticulous precision and attention to detail. These materials often have strict time and temperature requirements as well as specific legal needs in terms of containers and transportation processes. With no room for mistakes, compliant and effective transportation is of utmost importance when it comes to hazardous materials. 

Ground Transportation and Laboratory Transport

Any medical transport trip can potentially be a life-saving drive. The time-sensitive and climate-controlled delivery that comes with Medi-Ops transports ensures products are on-time and in perfect condition. With medical items, especially with the specific requirements of laboratory transports, ground transportation can be a great option. Emergency and non-emergency vehicles are available with options for lights and sirens transport if the product requires them. 

Products are always fully-insured and properly handled with incredible attention to detail. The ground-transportation units managed by Medi-Ops meet all standards and product requirements necessary. From time sensitivity and temperature requirements to hazardous materials, our vehicles are ready for the challenge of handling essential laboratory deliveries.

Air Transportation and Laboratory Transport

Air transportation is sometimes a better option when location or time needs require it. Air services create so many options including rotor and fixed-wing aircraft, commercial next flight out, and on-board courier services. Since these options can cover emergent and non-emergent situations, any laboratory transportation need can be covered anywhere in the United States.

Medi-Ops Software

Medi-Ops is the right answer for medical transportation not only because of our background-checked, HIPPA-compliant, and uniformed operators but also because of our uniquely tailored software. Real-time tracking and monitoring of your products are now available via our software and patient and client-first initiatives. Our software makes these deliveries unique and accessible all the while adding yet another level of care to the transportation process.

The medical laboratory needs often require various forms of transportation depending on the product and situation. These facilities are incredibly important in the medical world and patient care, so much so that the transportation of products between labs, research facilities, and medical care centers should be at the top of the priority list. Thankfully, Medi-Ops can cover all of the transportation needs of these facilities while maintaining the safety and integrity of products.

Medi-Ops Private Jet
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services, Flight Services

Private vs Commercial Aircraft in Medical Cargo Transportation

When medical cargo can’t be transported via ground transportation due to location or time factors, air transportation becomes a viable option to efficiently complete any non-emergent or emergent transport. Private and commercial aircraft are used in medical transportation and in many of the trips we coordinate here at Medi-Ops. As in every medical transportation situation, certain transportation methods are better than others depending on the situation, product, location, and other factors. While Medi-Ops conducts both ground and air transportation, sometimes a ground transportation option just won’t cut it in extremely time-sensitive and long-distance transports. Air transportation is a great option for moving cargo, whether on a commercial or private flight. With the decision to utilize air transport, there are some key differences between private charter aircraft and commercial aircraft to consider.

One of the biggest differences to take into account when evaluating whether to use charter or commercial aircraft is turnaround time. You’ve probably utilized commercial airlines for personal transportation. Depending on whether you are a two-hour early person when it comes to traveling on an airplane or if you get there with just enough time to get through security, time planning is important to consider. This is no different from cargo transportation operations on commercial aircraft. When utilizing this service, there are deadlines to consider. Cargo must arrive at the airport one hour before the flight and has a one-hour recovery time at the destination. Commercial aircraft operators also have cargo stations with fluctuating operation hours that can hinder transportation quality for time-sensitive cargo. 

Private aircraft charters are much more flexible with time constraints since they have access to smaller airports and can provide immediate recovery. Smaller airports allow for a faster pick-up, drop-off, and turnaround time. Sometimes there are products being transported that have extremely small shelf lives or specific, time-related travel needs. In these cases, using a private aircraft might be a better option to ensure the product’s quality and that it arrives at its destination in a timely manner. All in all, private aircraft charter flights are faster and can be more time-effective than commercial flights.

Looking at the numbers, there are around 12,039 private flights conducted per day. In addition the that sky-high (literally) number, there are 14,551 private airports around the United States compared to the 5,082 public airports. Looking at airports alone, the significantly higher number of private airports allows for an incredible number of options in location for transport and the ability to get products as close as possible to different locations. Turning to commercial flights, around 25,000 flights per day are operated by commercial airlines. This is a significant number of flight options, locations, and times. Clearly, commercial flight options can still be an incredible way to transport cargo and medical products if times, locations, and flights line up well.

So with all of this information, what kind of flight is best for each cargo transportation situation? When it comes down to it, time is the biggest factor here. If cargo is time-critical, like biotechnology products or emergency blood or organ transportation, a charter flight can save time and doesn’t require relying on commercial airlines. This is the highest level of reliability and security you can find in air transportation. Commercial airlines are still a valuable option to have when transports aren’t quite as time-sensitive. Medi-Ops’ next flight out (NFO) services as well as on-board courier services continue to ensure the safety of cargo throughout transport when utilizing commercial flights.

Biotechnology companies can now look to charter flights as a viable option for transportation since these products often require specific transportation procedures and have short shelf lives. The radiopharmaceutical industry is rapidly growing and often requires immediate transportation as these products have extremely specific transportation requirements in addition to specific time windows. Most often, these products aren’t allowed on commercial flights, creating a great opportunity to utilize charter flights instead. The extra level of efficiency, safety, and security provided by charter flights makes them perfect for these types of transport situations.

Medi-Ops has a large network of both commercial and private charter operators, providing an extensive web of flight options. Whatever the situation and cargo conditions, medical transportation has never been easier or faster than when utilizing our services. The specific routing technology provided through our software also allows clients to not only select the most appropriate form of transportation for their cargo but also track the product and see where it is and when it arrives in real-time. Our 24/7 dispatch center is also always available to guide clients through selecting the optimal mode of transportation for their cargo and scheduling those orders. Private and commercial flights have provided incredible strides in medical transportation. Those innovations and the security and reliability of Medi-Ops create industry-leading security and reliability for every transport.

Emergency vehicle tire tracks on snow
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services

Seven Benefits of Emergency Lights and Sirens Couriers in Winter Months

The winter brings abundant experiences, holidays, gatherings, and activities. The joy and cheer that winter hustles along with its holidays and events are always highlights of this season. While this time of year brings all of this goodness and cheer, the snow and unpredictable weather can bring a whole nother slew of winter experiences. Good or bad, winter weather affects our lives day to day. Another important piece of this to consider in the medical and transportation industry is how the increased unpredictability of weather can cause more frequent accidents and incidents as well as a higher need for medical product transportation. The winter is therefore also bringing in an increased importance of having relationships with emergency lights and sirens couriers to address every unpredictable situation most efficiently. 

Benefits of a Relationship with Emergency Lights and Sirens Couriers: 

  1. Time Efficiency: One benefit of utilizing emergency lights and sirens couriers throughout the year, but particularly in the winter, is the time saved. You know the drill, a lights and sirens vehicle has elevated abilities to transport blood, medical products, and patients in the most time-effective way. These vehicles can get through bad traffic quickly with their legal abilities to bypass certain traffic laws and restrictions when conditions allow. We’ve all seen lights and sirens vehicles navigate their way quickly through traffic jams, lights, and other tricky traffic situations. This ability allows for the highest level of timely transportation.
  1. Bypassing Road Closures: Many roads are closed in the winter due to weather, which can hinder the routes and accessibility of vehicle transportation. However, emergency lights and sirens vehicles can access these roads and safely navigate their way through winter weather closures, providing clients and emergency facilities with efficient and effective route transportation that other transport vehicles don’t necessarily have access to.
  1. Accident Navigation: An unfortunate reality of winter months is an increase in weather-related car accidents. At one point or another, everyone witnesses increased traffic, roadblocks, and slow travel times due to accidents. Emergency lights and siren vehicles can bypass these restrictions and breeze past accident scenes in order to get to their destination. Sometimes the product being transported by an emergency vehicle is for individuals involved in the same car accidents that they are able to quickly drive past. This reality allows for the transportation of products to arrive as soon as possible to better treat the patients in need of the blood or other medical products being transported.
  1. High Priority from Emergency Departments: The high priority status of emergency lights and sirens vehicles creates relationships with police departments and other emergency establishments. This recognition and priority level is yet another factor in why relationships between facilities, clients, and emergency lights and sirens couriers are essential throughout the year, but especially with the unpredictability and danger that winter transportation can bring.
  1. Increased Security: These vehicles bring with them their emergency lights and sirens status, road privileges, safety measures, and high levels of security. Couriers equipped with lights and sirens can safely monitor their vehicles and the product being transported. The increased level of security here provides peace of mind that the product being transported will arrive at its destination in optimal condition.
  1. Quicker Turnaround Time: Emergency lights and sirens couriers offer a quicker turnaround time than normal stat drivers as they are staffed 24/7. There is always a trained ad certified professional available to complete a transport call and ensure the efficiency and safety that comes with utilizing this service. Everyone knows that in the event of an emergency, time is of the essence. Shaving off even a few minutes of transportation time can save lives in the medical world. 
  1. Software (Medi-Ops Specific): The highly advanced software provided by Medi-Ops allows immediate tracking of orders and vehicles (in addition to the ability to place orders, receive immediate quotes, and bill directly from us). With these abilities, the consistent and quality service of Medi-Ops provides an added level of security and peace of mind that orders and transportation services will be on time and in good condition upon arrival. 

All in all, the utilization of emergency lights and sirens couriers will always be an essential relationship to have in winter months, if not year-round. At Medi-Ops, our fleet of vehicles in addition to our relationships with both ground and air couriers provides a level of service like no other. Don’t allow winter weather to hinder the efficiency, safety, and security of medical emergency procedures. Proper transportation is an absolutely essential piece of continuing to make innovative strides in the medical world and can save lives. Creating a relationship with emergency lights and sirens couriers is a vital part of the medical transportation process if you want to deliver the highest level of care to clients and patients alike.

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