5 WAYS A LOGISTICS COMPANY CAN IMPROVE SHIPPING
A healthcare logistics provider such as OptiFreight® Logistics offers solutions to improve shipping performance. These solutions are increasingly important in today’s environment where non-acute organizations are experiencing persistent financial challenges and pressures to identify new cost savings and efficiencies. By working with a healthcare logistics provider, facilities and labs can realize these five ongoing benefits:
1. Monitor shipper compliance and training. A healthcare logistics provider can help ensure the facility is shipping each item efficiently and selecting cost optimized approaches. “One key way to save money and improve efficiency is to analyze user compliance, namely assessing whether employees are shipping efficiently and choosing the most cost-effective shipping method,” according to OptiFreight® Logistics.
Ensuring compliance with shipping often involves providing staff training and guidance, which a healthcare logistics provider can offer. The logistics expert can help with solutions across inbound and outbound shipments. For example, for inbound shipments, OptiFreight® Logistics recommends including the third-party account number in the purchase order comment area to support billing via the preferred method. For outbound shipments, facility employees are encouraged to use the approved shipping platform to benefit from discounted rates and gain better visibility and control.
2. Focus on supplier connections. Working with a healthcare logistics provider helps facilities and labs ensure that their suppliers meet their needs and compliance requirements. “Logistics management providers are experts in this area and can engage suppliers on your behalf and do the heavy lifting for you,” according to OptiFreight® Logistics best practices.
The healthcare logistics provider can help educate suppliers on the facility’s logistics management program to foster participation and compliance. For instance, OptiFreight® Logistics can define preferred shipping methods while helping ensure supplier compliance.
3. Implement mode optimization. Facilities and labs must determine which service level is the most appropriate for their particular organization. Mode optimization determines which service level offers the most cost-effective way to ship items while ensuring they arrive on time. This is another area where healthcare logistics providers can help.
Facilities often choose their default shipping option without realizing the cost implications or considering less expensive options. “A logistics management provider will keep a close eye on shipping practices and identify cost savings opportunities,” according to OptiFreight® Logistics. The goal is to save money while benefiting from increased visibility into shipping.
4. Increase shipping volume through the logistics provider. Encouraging all shipments to take place through the dedicated healthcare logistics provider can enable ongoing savings, transparency and improvements. “This includes capturing both inbound and outbound shipments,” according to OptiFreight® Logistics. “Improving the managed volume means greater savings on shipments big and small.”
Improving and monitoring shipments requires visibility and control. Working with a healthcare logistics provider to oversee the shipments and receipts from various departments, locations and employees across the facility is essential for enhancing end-to-end shipping visibility and ensuring program compliance.
5. Leverage data and analytics. Capturing and analyzing data informs logistics decision making and ensures the best shipping rates. A healthcare logistics provider can help facilities and labs utilize data to gain insights to identify key areas for improvements in shipping.
In addition, healthcare logistics providers help ensure organizations are using the appropriate and most cost-effective shipping methods while also finding and fixing incorrect account numbers to prevent missed saving opportunities. Plus, they can verify that the best rates have been negotiated with carriers for large freight shipments while identifying ways to consolidate inbound small parcel shipments.
