Medical Courier Archives - R��۴�ý

The Pandemic’s Impact on Organ Donations and Transplants

Mckailyn Woodward — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:04:35 +0000

While the pandemic has certainly caused large waves of change across our news media, most of the talk has revolves around the catching of COVID-19, being placed in a hospital bed, and being put on a breathing apparatus, or people dying from COVID-19. But behind all of that, there is also another struggle going on—keeping up with organ donations.

Organ Donations and Transplants Took a Hit on Multiple Fronts

Several factors were at work the moment COVID-19 rocked the world that quickly hurt the world of organ donations and transplants. When the pandemic struck, PPE swiftly became short in supply. This in turn impacted the number of patients that could be tended to, and the staff that could work with those patients, and with COVID-19 being the absolute top worry, the whole process of organ transplants had to be paused because of how many people were dying and the unknowns of the danger that was causing these deaths.

This chaos also led to a reduction of available organ donors. Fear of catching and dying from COVID-19 led many who died of other causes to die at home—there is a specific window of time for when organs must be harvested for transplant. This impacted the number of organs readily available for transplant. However, enough people were still dying in hospitals to cushion the impact. What would eventually tip the number of organ transplants into the negative was donations from living donors. Fears from COVID-19 and the stresses of dying relatives from COVID-19 all contributed to a reduction of living donors, which resulted in almost 2000 less living donors from 2019 to 2020. This translated into over 700 more deaths during that time span as people waited for an organ transplant but never received it in time.

Solutions to the Organ Transplant Troubles

This situation could’ve been a lot worse, if not for the efforts of many medical professionals across the nation and the sheer logistics they had to go through to ensure that most patients were still getting their much-needed transplants. For areas where certain organs may have been short, hospitals were communicating with neighboring areas to have the needed organs transplanted as fast as possible. This helped mitigate the potential loss of life that we could’ve suffered versus the losses that we did experience. However, the fact remains that we need more donors, and COVID-19 has certainly left its mark on the world of organ transplants.

Get Your Organ Transplants and Medical Supplies Rushed Faster Than Ever

With R��۴�ý and our specialized medical courier services, all of your medical shipments can be completed within the same day and in just a matter of hours. Our experienced OSHA and HIPAA protocol trained drivers have delivered medical specimens, medical equipment, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, bloodwork, and much more. Ensure that your healthcare facility has what it needs and give your patients the care that they deserve—let R��۴�ý be your rush courier service provider for all your medical supplies!

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The Hope to Save Lives with the FDA’s New Shortage Prevention Program

Mckailyn Woodward — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:21:56 +0000

Since COVID-19 first struck the world, supply lines became strained to the breaking point as shelves were running empty at stores and hospitals were struggling to have enough PPE and equipment to handle the sudden surge of patients as people became sick or were dying from the effects of COVID-19. It wasn’t too long before the FDA began putting a plan together to try countering the shortages that shocked the nation as healthcare workers struggled to find the means to protect themselves as well as save the lives of others. Enter the CARES Act, or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

What Does the CARES Act Do?

Signed into law back on March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was the FDA’s move to assume the authority of preventing the shortage of medical equipment in the case of a public health emergency, or even in anticipation of a possible public health emergency. This is crucial because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that even with knowledge of a possible pandemic, our public health emergency response was nowhere near sufficient and hundreds of thousands have died for it. The main weakness that the CARES Act is meant to address is in our medical supply chain. There were not enough materials and equipment before to meet the rising demand when the pandemic had struck—and there was a need for establishing where the decision-making really needed to be. Now, the FDA can have the power to make those decisions quickly and decisively.

How Will the CARES Act Be Carried Out?

The FDA already has its 2022 budget outlined with $21.6 million to be invested into their new Resilient Supply Chain and Shortages Prevention Program (RSCSPP). This funding will be for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and will be dedicated to establishing the first permanent program in the US for supply chain resilience regarding medical devices—it is but a first step, but a crucial one towards building a stronger nation in the face of future public health emergencies. It is a somber thought that the science community is already predicting that there will be more public health emergencies to follow in the wake of sweeping changes to our climate, but the CARES Act and consequent funding for the FDA will aid in the necessary steps to preparing us all.

What is the Ultimate Goal of the RSCSPP?

The RSCSPP is designed to ultimately provide the CDRH with the means to provide fast and well-backed intervention for when possible supply shortages may occur or when supply chains may possibly be disrupted regarding medical supplies and equipment. Here are just some of the ways that this will be made possible:

Regulatory measures may be made, and valuable partnerships can be forged with the medical industry, healthcare providers, and patients.
The development and improvement of supply chain intelligence through predictive modeling.
Develop the means for early signal detection and constant surveillance.
Invest in preventative measures that can help ensure that shortages don’t occur in the first place when domestic supply chains become stressed.

All of this goes into more than just preparing for emergencies, it will also benefit everyday operations—the health of all in the United States will benefit in the end.

Get STAT Delivery for Your Medical Equipment and Supplies

Being short on any medical supply can be detrimental to the health of your patients. With R��۴�ý and our same day medical courier services, you can help make sure that you’re never short on any medical item for long. Our medical courier services can help transport and ship medical supplies not just from anywhere in your state, but also from your neighboring states—what’s more, we can get the job done within the same day, so that you can get those invaluable supplies faster and save more lives. Our medical courier services can be used for both one-time shipments as well as for regular supply lines—stay supplied with R��۴�ý on your side!

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mRNA tech to make Malaria Vaccine

Mckailyn Woodward — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:04:02 +0000

On July 26, 2021, the Germany-based pharmaceutical company known as BioNTech had announced that it would try using the same mRNA technology behind the COVID-19 vaccine to create a vaccine against malaria. BioNTech is the company that had partnered with the US-based company Pfizer to develop one of the most widely approved COVID-19 vaccines. With their frontline experience in developing the mRNA technology, now BioNTech wishes to expand and create a vaccine solution against another disease that still continues to plague other parts of the world.

What is Malaria?

Notoriously known as a mosquito-borne disease that has caused much suffering in the African continent, malaria can actually exist anywhere in the world where mosquitos may thrive. In 2019 alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were roughly 229 million cases of malaria across the globe. Of those cases, around 400,000 die from malaria, many of them being young children. Malaria is caused when a female mosquito bites a person—in the process, malaria-causing parasites get mixed with the mosquito’s saliva and get introduced into the person’s body.

Malaria can cause a variety of symptoms when contracted:

Fever
Headaches
Muscle Aches
Nausea and Vomiting
Diarrhea
Chills
Other Flu-Like Symptoms
Confusion
Kidney Failure
Seizures
Coma
Death

Typically, it can take anywhere from 10 days to as long as 4 weeks before symptoms begin to show. However, it can take as long as 1 year for symptoms to appear. Early symptoms usually resemble the more flu-like symptoms such as headaches, sweats and chills, muscle aches, nausea, and fever. But it should be taken very seriously as it can become very life-threatening.

How Can Malaria Be Cured?

There are a variety of anti-malaria drugs out there that are meant to be taken early so that they can tackle the disease and put a stop to it before greater damage is done. These drugs are prescription-only, so if you live in an area that has a lot of mosquitos and you begin exhibiting symptoms, be sure to speak to a doctor promptly and begin treatment. These drugs work by clearing your body of the malaria parasites, providing the help you need to help prevent another rise of symptoms. These parasites can live in your body for years, or even decades, and can reactivate at any time causing what’s known as “malaria attacks”. Taking doctor-recommended anti-malaria drugs will help put a stop to this suffering.

There have been attempts to eradicate malaria from the world since the 1950s but have otherwise borne no fruit. Much of the fault of these campaigns have been the lack of involvement of the African continent, which is where much of the cases are occurring—without a proper and comprehensive effort that covers all regions, especially those most hard hit, malaria’s eradication can seem far away.

Progress on a Vaccine

While BioNTech is planning to start trials by the end of 2022, it should be noted that there is already a vaccine that is being tested in three countries in Africa made by GlaxoSmithKline. However, those trials have shown that it is going to be a challenge to maintain the antibodies required to remain efficient. Furthermore, the malaria parasite has been known to develop new variants, which can provide an extra challenge to existing vaccine concepts. This is why BioNTech believes that their mRNA technology could create a better vaccine that may be more effective, if the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is anything to go by. BioNTech is also seeking to make a production facility in Africa for their mRNA vaccines—which can make a future malaria vaccine easy to access for the communities most hard hit by malaria. The hope is that the mRNA technology can eventually be used to create a whole variety of effective vaccines.

Keep Your Vaccine Deliveries on Schedule and Safe with R��۴�ý!

With R��۴�ý and our 24/7 medical courier services, your vaccines can be kept safe and secure while they’re sped towards their destinations. Our OSHA and HIPAA protocol trained drivers are experienced in the proper handling of your temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals—you can rest easy knowing that your vaccine deliveries will be kept at their proper temperatures, keeping temperature excursions to a minimum. Give us a call or visit our website to learn more about how our medical courier services can help keep your vaccine shipments moving quick and reaching their destinations as fast as possible! We’ll be happy to offer you a free, zero-obligation price quote for your next medical shipment!

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When You Need Temperature-Controlled Shipping

Mckailyn Woodward — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:05:32 +0000

From life-saving healthcare items like pharmaceuticals to perishable goods like frozen foods, there’s a plethora of reasons why you may need temperature-controlled shipping to ensure the safe transportation of your packages. With specialized temperature-controlled shipping, all of these delicate and sensitive items can be delivered while being kept safe in their original state. Here are some of the things you will need to consider, so that your temperature-controlled shipments will go smoothly.

Temperature-Controlled Packaging

The most basic packaging for temperature-controlled shipping usually involves insulated foam and plastic packaging, box packaging that works to help contain the chill or heated temperatures of your packages. But this type of packaging alone will only work for so long and across a limited distance and time. For greater distances, lengthier delivery times, or if your packages must remain at a very strict and small range of temperatures, it is highly recommended to use added packaging elements such as dry ice, cold gel packs, or electric heating blankets.

Items That Need Temperature-Controlled Shipping

There are all sorts of items that may need temperature-controlled shipping. If you have any of these items that need to be delivered to another location, it is highly recommended that you consult a courier service to learn more about temperature-controlled shipping options.

Medical Specimens
Sensitive pharmaceuticals like vaccines
Frozen grocery items to be sold at a store
Refrigerated grocery items to be sold at a store
Hot food catering
And more!

Any item that typically needs to be maintained at a temperature well-above or well-below room temperature in order to remain in good and useable condition should be considered for temperature-controlled shipping so that the integrity of the item does not become compromised.

Understand the Rules and Regulations

Even when perishable or temperature-controlled goods and items can be shipped, there are rules to follow that can affect how and whether you can even ship the item. For example, if you’re shipping medical specimens, pharmaceuticals, or potentially biohazardous materials—they will likely be subject to restrictions by both the FDA, DEA, and possibly federal hazardous materials regulations. Also worthy of note is that dry ice is technically a hazardous material and is subject to certain rules based on how much of it is being utilized in your packaging.

Are You Monitoring Your Temperature-Sensitive Packages?

When you’re shipping temperature-sensitive goods that can greatly be impacted by fluctuations in temperature, it is imperative that you use a temperature-monitoring device to remotely keep track of your items and their temperatures. This is particularly important for items like medical specimens and pharmaceuticals, where a change in temperature could render the item unviable or even dangerous to use.

Keep Your Temperature-Sensitive Goods Safe with R��۴�ý

Whatever sensitive items you might need to ship, R��۴�ý has a same day delivery service that can be the perfect fit for your delivery needs. We feature temperature-controlled options for all our rush courier services, including our popular, specialized medical courier services.

With our versatile fleet of vehicles, we can take on deliveries of any size while still providing a proper controlled environment for your sensitive packages so that they reach their destinations within the same day and in their original and proper state.

Give us a call at 888-415-1781 to get a free delivery quote and discover how R��۴�ý can maximize the safety and integrity of your temperature-sensitive goods while delivering them in quick time!

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Best Practices for Your Medical Supplies Shipping

Mckailyn Woodward — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 14:02:29 +0000

Medical supply shipments are vital for the healthcare industry. Without them, patient care quality will decline and even hospital budgets can be greatly affected. When choosing a medical courier service provider, you should take care to make sure that they follow the best practices in medical logistics possible. This can benefit you and your organization on multiple fronts. With the right medical courier service, your medical supplies will be in better condition, delivered in a more-timely manner, and materials handling will be performed with the utmost care. Ask your medical courier service if they follow these best practices to ensure you’ve made the right decision:

Pharmaceuticals: Medicines and Drugs

Most may think of drugs as just being pills that sit in labeled plastic bottles at a pharmacy convenience store, but there’s a lot that goes into transporting medicines and drugs that your courier service should be taking into consideration.

Properly Packaging Medications and Drugs

Regarding prescription drugs, there are great regulations in place to ensure that they are properly handled, transported, and dispensed. Prescription drugs should be properly packaged in child-resistant containers and have other tamper-evidence measures to ensure that the medicine is pristine upon delivery. Packaging should also be designed to help protect the drugs from outside influences such as light and humidity.

For non-prescription medications, while they are not as heavily regulated as far as package design and more, they should still be packaged in a way to help prevent product damage and exposure to high temperatures.

When Shipping Pharmaceuticals:

When transporting drugs and medications, cooler temperatures should be maintained and regulated within the storage compartment of the delivery vehicle in order to protect the integrity of the product. This can be done either by using a refrigerated compartment as part of the delivery vehicle, or by insulated medication container with material that will help maintain a cool environment for the duration of the delivery.

Surgical Tools and Instruments

Surgical tools are needed in order to perform life-saving procedures all across the globe. That’s why it’s important that they be delivered and stored properly, and having the right medical courier can really make the difference.
Properly Packaging Surgical Tools and Instruments

Since surgical tools are used to interact with parts of the human body, it is paramount that these objects remain sterile and clean all throughout their time in storage until the time of their use. This usually involves using seal packaging or vacuum-sealed pouches, all free of tears or holes. To further protect these tools sealed in packets, they can be delivered in sterile bags, cases, or totes for that extra layer of protection.

When Shipping Surgical Tools

Just as it is important that the surgical tools remain sterile, it is important to ensure that the packaging around the tools remains safe and intact. As such, your medical courier should take extra precautions to ensure a proper delivery. One best practice would involve keeping the surgical tools and packaging in a climate-controlled compartment, especially one that reduces humidity. Moisture and condensation can lead to contamination.

Medical Equipment: Diagnostic Equipment and More

From MRI scanners and x-ray machines to life-saving ventilators, medical equipment is vital for the patients to get the proper diagnoses and care that they may need. But these machines have a lot of delicate components and so must be treated with care, especially when being transported.

The same can also be said for mobility and rehabilitation equipment such as hospital beds and wheelchairs. All should be treated with care while being delivered expeditiously.
Packaging for Medical Equipment

Medical and mobility equipment needs to be both well-protected while in-transit as well as while being unloaded and delivered to the healthcare organization. Whatever way they may be assembled, they should be kept in manageable portions for easy unloading and delivery to the proper part of the hospital. Proper equipment needs to be present to ensure a safe delivery as well, such as a skid, moving pads, or even an automatic stair crawler.

When Shipping Medical Equipment

Along with rush courier services, your medical courier should be trained in the proper handling, direct delivery, and positioning of your medical equipment. For equipment such as wheelchairs and hospital beds, even if they don’t need to be disassembled, your medical courier should have in mind a strategy to ensure that it is safely carried out of the delivery vehicle and taken to the delivery location safely. One example, for equipment such as hospital beds, or any other large object, your medical courier should have a two-man team. Ask if they provide white-glove services to test your equipment to ensure that they are operating properly after assembly.

Find a Specialized Medical Courier with R��۴�ý

With the medical courier services of R��۴�ý, we use only the best practices and beyond. You not only get the benefit of OSHA and HIPAA protocol trained drivers, but you’ll also have the benefits of real-time GPS tracking, direct delivery, and experienced bonded drivers. With same-day courier delivery services that can bring you your medical supplies in as quick as one hour, you can be sure that you’ll always have what you need when you choose R��۴�ý. Call us or check out our website for more on how your healthcare organization can benefit from our medical courier services!

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Choosing the Right Medical Courier for Your Needs

Mckailyn Woodward — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 14:24:06 +0000

Most packages can use a regular delivery service or courier service in order to get them from Point A to Point B. But there are certain packages that require a more specialized courier, equipped with the right knowledge and skills to ensure that those packages make it to their destination safely while also keeping on time. Maybe you work in a hospital or a lab, or maybe you run your very own clinic, but chances are you’ve needed a medical courier in order to transport crucial and sometimes time-sensitive materials to your clinic or perhaps to another lab building.

What Does a Medical Courier Do?

Medical couriers perform the important job of receiving and delivering medical items while being knowledgeable in reading both the instructions and documentation pertaining to those packages. Through their medical knowledge and adept skills as a driver, medical couriers are able to ensure that medical packages reach not just their destinations, but that they reach there in good condition and are handled properly.

The process that a medical courier goes through to ensure that these crucial deliveries are completed goes mostly like this:

Receiving the medical packages from the origin medical facility.
Securing the packages in the delivery vehicle and properly interpreting all instructions.
Double-checking the documentation to ensure all items are accounted for and information is accurate.
Determining the best route to deliver the packages quickly but also safely. This can include accounting for city traffic as well as mileage required to get there.
Perform these duties and completing the delivery itself all within HIPAA and OSHA regulations.

Benefits of Using a Medical Courier

As shown above, medical couriers are not just regular deliverymen. Thanks to their OSHA and HIPAA training, they are professionals trained specially for handling confidential medical information, and handling medical packages with various, potentially delicate materials including biological materials like medical specimens, or even pharmaceuticals. By using a medical courier that is properly certified and trained, you can ensure that both the personal information of your patients and the medical supplies they need are kept safe and transported properly. Unlike traditional delivery services and couriers, medical couriers also come equipped often with spill kits to ensure proper disposal of potentially infectious spills and dangerous materials.

Medical courier services are more than just experts in handling your packages—they’re experts at road logistics. If you’re worried about courier safety practices, medical courier services require that their drivers have proof of good driving behavior. From a combination of advanced GPS assistance to knowledge of traffic patterns and calculating mileage, a medical courier can ensure a timely delivery without risking your packages with reckless driving.

Availability is another benefit of a medical courier service. They understand that healthcare never stops, as there is always someone in need. With a medical courier service, you can get the medical supplies you need when you need them, so that help is always possible and no one’s life is placed in jeopardy just because it’s outside of normal business hours.

When a Life is on the Line, Choosing the Proper Medical Courier is Essential

While blood specimens for a drug test may not be the most pressing of medical courier deliveries, sometimes the delivery is so critical and time-sensitive that a life may very well depend on it. That’s one of the, if not the most important, reasons why having a medical courier service is vital to the operations of a healthcare facility. From key medicines to organ transplants, only a medical courier can be entrusted to deliver these vital things both in quick time while also ensuring that the integrity of these packages remains in perfect condition. The right medical courier can mean saving lives.

By choosing a medical courier that offers all the benefits listed, you can make sure that your healthcare facility is properly stocked and always gets its critical materials quickly when they’re needed.

Find Your Medical Courier in R��۴�ý

Your medical supplies are crucial to ensuring the health and well being of your facility’s patients. With 24/7 availability, and bonded drivers that are both HIPAA and OSHA trained, you can’t find a better medical courier than the drivers of R��۴�ý. Our bonded drivers are equipped with the best in GPS assistance and are experts at dodging traffic to ensure a timely delivery. Call us or check out our website for more information on how R��۴�ý can keep your healthcare facility running smoothly!

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