Medical specimen couriers are an integral behind-the-scenes part of the healthcare industry. Labs, clinics, and hospitals rely on them everyday to pick up and deliver blood, tissue, and other medical specimens so appropriate patient care protocols can be determined. They’re not just moving boxes from point A to point B, they’re providing a service that affects lives. So how does a halt in service affect your healthcare business?[/vc_column_text]
It’s a Triage Situation
Labs, clinics, and hospitals can’t go a day without medical courier service. So in the event of service loss, figuring out how to keep pick up and delivery operations running is critical. When you need to put another system in place at a moment’s notice, it creates a chain of events that require manpower and energy—and cause stress.
A halt to service becomes an all hands on deck situation that takes your employees away from their day to day tasks to triage the problem. This can cause ripple effects in operations and customer service that tax the patience of your clients and the morale of your team. So what are your options in a situation like this?
You have to follow HIPAA compliance guidelines, so your medical courier delivery service must follow them too. That’s why turning to rideshare services like Uber and Lyft in an emergency won’t work. Your only option is to engage another medical courier service to reliably represent your brand in the field. And if you’re missing deliveries and pick ups in the meantime, that’s affecting your brand.
Losing Trust Means Losing Clients
Medical couriers represent your brand in the field. In the same way that a driver’s unprofessional appearance and unfriendly behavior make you look bad, missing specimen pick ups and deliveries, even for just a day, will tarnish your company’s image. And when clients lose trust in you, it takes time to gain that trust back. You could lose clients in the process.
A survey conducted by customer engagement company SDL shows it takes two years before your customers trust your brand—or, more specifically, two years for a customer to simply view your brand as one it can rely on. So how long does it take to rebuild trust after a perceived misstep? It could take years.
A Halt in Service Causes a Chain Reaction That Affects Patient Care
Picking up and delivering medical specimens within the correct temperature range and within their stability window is key to a medical courier’s job. So what happens when a driver or their temporary replacement misses the mark on either? It may be as simple as recollecting the specimen, but that takes time and creates stress for patients and families waiting for results. What if the specimen can’t be recollected?
For example, a patient with brain cancer has to go through a painful, costly, and dangerous procedure to get a tissue sample. It’s impossible to require the patient to do it again. What then?
When test results are delayed or abandoned, patient care protocols follow suit. The repercussions of which are continued or worsening illness, and in some cases death.
The Stakes Are High
In 50 years, we’ve continued to deliver service through earthquakes, wildfires, and terrorist attacks. We have never abandoned service for any reason because we know what that would mean to our clients and to patient care. We understand the human consequence of our work, and we understand the impact our drivers have on your brand. That’s why you can count on us to be there 24/7, 365 days a year. Even through the holidays.
