We understand how hard it is to trust just any courier service for something as time-sensitive and life-saving as specimen and prescription delivery. As a first-mile/last-mile, medical-only delivery company, our customers depend on us to get their precious shipments delivered safely, securely, and with time to spare. Well, we’ve been doing just that, and for no less than half a century!
Each year Medical Couriers delivers close to 10 million specimens across the continental U.S. for clients that include prominent hospital chains, labs, clinics, and closed-door pharmacies.
As you will see in this guide, placing an order with us is very easy, and we go the extra mile to keep it that way. Here’s a complete walkthrough on what to expect when you choose MCI as your preferred specimen courier service.
Step 1: Simplified Ordering Process
If you’re a first-time customer, the most convenient way to get in touch with us is through the “Request A Pick-Up” option on our web portal. All you need to do is fill out a short form and supply us with some basic details like name, email, phone, a message with what you’re looking for, and how you heard about us. Once you submit this form, sit back and relax – one of our specialists will contact you promptly to expedite your account setup and your service request.
High volume customers can simply log in to their dashboards to place the order. You can enter the pick up and delivery info and get instant order confirmation.
Aside from our web-portal, current clients can place a pick-up request and receive a confirmation by emailing dispatch@medicalcouriers.com or giving us a buzz on 800-652-1147.
Step 2: Wide Range of Medication and Specimen Courier Services
In our 50 years in California of service, we have never, ever lost a specimen! We realize that every shipment is a Life or Life story and that’s what drives our obsession with service excellence.
We are equipped to transport specimens, cryogenics, medications, blood, clinical trial samples, and more. Here are four ways in which you can schedule the delivery with us. These vary in pricing and delivery speed.
-
- Routed: Designed for regular pick-ups done on a daily pick-up at fixed intervals.
- STAT: This works best for emergencies where clients need delivery immediately. Specimens transported via our STAT service are carried out by our fleet of drivers, and clients always have someone from MCI to help schedule pick-ups on short notice.
- Dedicated: Here, you get a dedicated onsite driver and a custom-made system to cater to your requirements.
- Ground to Air to Ground: We use Common Carriers (FedEx/UPS), Commercial and Charter Aircraft to transport shipments both intrastate and interstate to meet the varied needs of our customers. We have IAC authority and can facilitate both the pick-up and delivery on both ends of these transactions.
All of these services are available for both new and existing clients. Although, as a precautionary measure, for first-time clients, our team does an end-to-end dry run before picking up real specimens. To find out more about the pricing and exact delivery times for each service, get in touch with us today.
Step 3: Best-in-Class Dispatching Methods
We maintain a state-of-the-art, 24×7 Order Management Center, staffed with tenured professionals, ready to meet your needs! Call us any day of the week, even at the oddest hours, and what you’ll hear is not an automated service but an experienced human voice.
Our dispatch team shifts cover the entire span of 24 hours and focus on monitoring your shipments for chain of custody, timing and materials handling compliance. “Ownership” of service is maintained via turnover conversations and reporting to ensure that service is not compromised for shipments that span multiple shifts.
Your job ticket flows to our dispatch screens as soon as you put in a request. Then it is assigned to one of our drivers. Even if you’ve placed the order via the web portal or email, you can still call our dispatch team to double-check that everything looks good!
Our existing clients can vouch for the unbeatable consistency we offer with each dispatch. And when you do call in, it’s likely that you’ll be interacting with a dispatcher that you’re familiar with! Interacting with the same professional gives you the opportunity to be in sync with each other’s requirements so the process is even smoother.
Step 4: Speedy Pick-ups and Deliveries by Experienced Specimen Couriers
Our fleet of highly professional drivers is our claim to fame in California. To make sure we partner only with the cream of the crop, we carry out extensive pre-employment vetting. Plus, every new driver goes through our 40-hour training, including ridealongs, and completes a daily pre-trip checklist to ensure that they have the materials, supplies and tools necessary to be successful.
The safety of our drivers and your packages is our highest priority. Our employee drivers are HIPAA certified and well-versed in biohazard protocols and cold chain delivery. They frequently undergo road safety orientations and defensive driving modules.
Like our dispatch team, MCI’s drivers have the same shifts and routes for consistency and efficiency. Being a part of medical services can be stressful, sometimes we are racing against the clock to save a life. The consistency of our drivers means you’re always interacting with someone you know and trust and that knows the nuances of your service requirements and facilities.
Step 5: State-of-the-Art Tracking System
Once your order is picked up, what then? How would you know the whereabouts of your sensitive shipment before it makes its way to the final destination?
Our delivery tracking system is among the best in the business. Not only are you able to track your deliveries in real time, our high-volume clients have access to their own customizable tracking dashboards, reporting tools, and round-the-clock escalation support, enabling them to be on top of multiple orders at once and receive help when they need it most.
Need us to integrate with your ERP, EMR/EHR, or other platform? We can work with your IT team to develop custom, bi-directional integrations with your system. This allows you to populate your existing informatics and reporting tools with the mission critical data that flows from our Transportation Management System.
Step 6: Transparent & Flexible Invoicing
From specimen courier tracking to invoicing, there are no mysteries with MCI. Our proprietary invoicing system provides you with a transparent invoice and a detailed breakdown of costs, including transportation, accessorial fees, and indexed fuel surcharges. What’s more – we can tweak invoice formats to make them compatible with your corporate requirements or upstream reporting needs,
And Don’t Forget: 24/7 Customer Support
At MCI, we are proud to be known for our culture of care and for treating each medical shipment with the seriousness it deserves. We constantly innovate, automate, and evolve our processes with our clients and their patients in mind. We also know that changes to your program and services can come at anytime. Healthcare never sleeps or rests or takes a vacation. So beyond the tactical support provided by our Order Management Center, we provide Account and Program level support, 24/7, as well. Our team of seasoned, healthcare logistics Managers provide Senior Level Management availability for our clients 24/7.
So whether you want to place an order today, learn more about our services from an Account Specialist or speak to a Senior Manager about tough questions and challenges related to your current needs…
Reach out to us today, to get started.
