The health care industry faces a large number of costs every year. One of its largest expenditures is medical supplies, which is even larger than staffing costs. From medication, to equipment, to machines, hospitals and medical facilities rely on products to provide patients with the highest quality care. In order to offer superior service to patients, many medical facilities turn to healthcare logistics companies to monitor the delivery of medical supplies, making sure that products these products are sent and received securely, and on time.

Like third party logistics (3PL) providers, healthcare logistics management presents clients with a carefully monitored system to ensure that their supplies and products are delivered with proper care. If a product requires temperature control to maintain its efficacy, logistics personnel make sure that the product is treated accordingly. These providers can also manage of every aspect of the distribution process, from packing, to loading, to warehousing and transportation. Common 3PL services that healthcare logistics providers offer include supply chain management, which controls the transport and flow of goods from one place to another. This is an important aspect of the distribution process, as it consumes about 30 percent of the cost associated with healthcare.

The most basic 3PL services provide packing, warehousing, and distribution, but there are more complex and involved steps that logistics companies can offer depending on what a client needs. For example, they can include security systems for high risk products, tracking and tracing devices on shipments, and even implement a careful cross docking system, when goods are transferred from one loading station to another without adequate housing in between. This can be a crucial part of the delivery process for healthcare products that require extra care, and need to be delivered in a timely fashion. The rush, one-day urgent delivery that healthcare logistics companies provide is an added advantage.

With the number of products that are delivered to medical facilities daily, a quality control system to ensure proper delivery is vital. Without these systems in place, patient care would come to a standstill, and hospitals would not be able to do their job. Therefore, making sure that a high caliber logistics team is crucial to the success of the healthcare industry.