Five Benefits of Switching from Paper-Based Systems to Electronic Medical Courier Software

Today’s computer-based tools and mobile technologies have delivered significant efficiency and productivity boosts in a wide range of healthcare applications. And, given the extensive adoption of electronic health records and mobile technology throughout most of the healthcare system, it’s surprising to find an area of the industry where paper-based tracking systems are still in use. Nevertheless, there’s at least one segment of the healthcare system where even today it’s not uncommon to encounter manual routing procedures and clipboard- based tracking tools: laboratory courier operations.

Why Changing from Manual to Electronic Courier Management Has Been Difficult

The lingering presence of manual, paper-based tools within the medical courier industry is driven by several factors. In many cases, resistance to new tools has been prompted by the simple fact that technology-based solutions weren’t designed for the specific requirements of lab courier operations. To address this concern and help speed the adoption of electronic systems, Taylor Data Systems set out to design a cloud-based specimen tracking and courier management solution specifically for medical labs.

MCE: Medical Courier Software & Mobile App Designed for Laboratories

The result is Medical Courier Elite (MCE), which was purpose-built from the ground up to give lab directors and courier managers a cloud-based solution that streamlines courier routing and ensures the traceability of specimens at every step from pickup to delivery.

When MCE is combined with rugged handheld mobile computers from Zebra Technologies, medical couriers and labs can replace outdated, inefficient paper-based systems. It’s a powerful combination of innovative hardware and cloud-based tools that makes it easy to capture all the productivity and efficiency promises of the latest technology.

5 Benefits Medical Labs See in Courier Operations

Here’s a brief breakdown of five specific improvements that labs and medical couriers see when they migrate from paper-based tracking to the MCE cloud-based mobile app running on Zebra mobile computers.

1. Improved efficiency. MCE streamlines nearly every aspect of courier operations to deliver across-the-board productivity and efficiency improvements. Written notes are replaced with fast, efficient barcode scans. Managers gain the flexibility to design the most efficient routes. The time couriers spend on every pickup, delivery or transfer, is reduced.
2. Reduced errors. By replacing manual data checks and paper-based records with barcode scanning and electronic records, the chance for human error is dramatically reduced. The improved accuracy and big reduction in the need for retesting benefits the entire system, with lower costs and fewer delays for everyone from the lab to the caregiver, all the way through to the patient.
3. Fewer lost specimens. Electronic tracking and step-by-step verification of every sample as it moves through each step of its journey drastically reduces the opportunity for samples to be lost, mixed-up, or left behind. The ability to accurately reconcile every sample at every step is especially helpful when couriers are visiting facilities that serve as both pickup and drop-off locations. This drives a dramatic reduction in the redundant costs of lost samples and the potentially life-threatening delays associated with retesting.
4. Enhanced reporting capabilities. Using cloud-based MCE and Zebra mobile devices gives lab administrators and courier managers access to far more detailed information and reports than they could ever hope for with paper-based systems. With near real-time tracking and data, they’ll have the information needed to keep customers informed and drive ongoing improvements in operations.
5. Better customer service. Whether you’re talking about the lab itself, the prescribing healthcare professional, or the patient, everyone who counts on the medical courier benefits from the improvements in speed, accuracy, and performance when MCE and Zebra mobile computers are deployed to replace outdated paper-based tracking. Lab pickups and drop-offs are faster and easier than ever, healthcare professionals get results faster, and patients aren’t bothered by delays or inconvenient retests. The result is greater customer satisfaction throughout the entire process.

Contact Medical Courier Elite

If your lab is stuck with outdated paper-based systems or you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of a cloud-based medical courier management solution and Zebra handheld mobile computers, contact Medical Courier Elite here.