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.