In recent years, the world has seen firsthand the intense need for efficient and reliable distribution of medical supplies, but global health crises are nothing new. Medical distribution has been a crucial part of the healthcare system for a long time, and healthcare professionals have known it all along. What exactly is medical distribution, and what makes it so important?
Medical distribution is the industry built around getting medical supplies, from the manufacturer to their places of usage that doctors, hospitals, and any other kind of healthcare institutions can readily use.
As you can imagine, there are several complications that can arise, which can affect both manufacturers and healthcare providers. Medical supplies come in all shapes and sizes, with drastically differing needs for safe transportation and needs a dedicated person to track and ensure each shipment arrives to the correct location.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the transporting logistics process can be rather complex. To help you better understand how it all works, we’ve provided answers to a few of the most common questions we receive about medical distribution.
Why Do We Need Medical Distribution?
The most straightforward answer is that it’s a numbers game. There are more than six thousand hospitals across the United States alone, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the wide variety of healthcare facilities in need of supplies. On top of that, there are thousands upon thousands of manufacturers to consider, each with a different specialization in different products.
With such a wide variety, how can healthcare providers be expected to keep up with the logistics? Medical distributors act as a much-needed middle ground between manufacturers and providers.
Distributors handle the massively-important job of efficiently transporting the right supplies to the correct locations under the right conditions. More often than not, this is an intensely time-sensitive operation. Medical providers know that their patients’ health and lives depend on having the proper devices and medications available on time. That’s why a reliable medical courier is vital for every healthcare provider.
Stat Experts is an established specialist in medical distribution. Our team knows better than anyone that when it comes to medical logistics, there’s no room for error. With a reliable courier at their back to manage inventory and logistics, healthcare providers can better allocate their resources to what matters; which is keeping patients safe and healthy!
What Kinds of Items Commonly Require Distribution?
“Medical supplies” is a broad term, and there’s a good reason for that. Because medical needs vary so drastically, medical supplies come in all shapes and sizes. A surgeon needs different tools than a chiropractor, and a psychiatrist needs different supplies than a pediatrician.
Possible supplies a courier might be responsible for includes everything from pharmaceuticals, to machinery, insulin, medical masks, respirators, bandages, surgical tools, blood and medicine. A number of these items require highly specific temperature conditions to transport and store. Medical distribution isn’t just a matter of transporting supplies, but also about protecting the integrity of every transport.
What Services Do Distributors Provide?
As you’ve probably already gathered, the responsibilities of a medical distributor go far beyond just shipping supplies. Efficient and effective logistics also means inventory management to keep track of which supplies are needed on what schedule.
Likewise, these distributors need the capacity to safely store equipment until such a time that it’s needed by the healthcare provider, who may not have the necessary storage facilities to keep the excess. This is why a good courier company provides specialized warehousing services, fine-tuned to the needs of each supply, to ensure the longest possible shelf-life.
Logistics management is more than just warehousing, however. Medical distributors play a crucial role in crisis response, providing expedient and efficient shipping when the need for supplies is urgent. With such a complex system of need and supply, it should come as no surprise that medical distribution is an intrinsic part of healthcare.
How Can I Learn More About Medical Distribution?
This is the question with the simplest answer. Stat Experts is your lifeline for medical logistics, and we’re happy to answer any and all questions you might have about the complicated business of medical distribution.
With more than seventy-five years of combined experience, there’s no distance too vast to cover. Like so many others, you can trust Stat Experts to meet your needs in medical logistics.
Want to know more? Contact us today for a free estimate!
