Weathering the Storm: How Specialty Pharmacies Can Navigate the 2024 Hurricane Season
Meteorologists and climate experts are sounding the alarm: this year’s Atlantic hurricane season could be one for the record books. With predictions of an unusually high number of storms, it’s time for specialty pharmacies to sit up and take notice.
Hurricane Facts
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its most aggressive hurricane season forecast on record, painting a picture of a turbulent six months ahead. They’re predicting a staggering 17 to 25 named storms, with 8 to 13 potentially intensifying into hurricanes. Even more concerning, 4 to 7 could become major hurricanes, packing winds of 111 mph or higher. But NOAA isn’t alone in its dire predictions. Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University are singing a similar tune, calling for 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes. These numbers far exceed the average season and have emergency management officials on high alert.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially stretches from June 1 to November 30, but most storm activity is concentrated between mid-August and mid-October. September stands out as the peak month for hurricanes in the Atlantic basin. While hurricanes can and do form outside this peak window, most major hurricanes, categorized as Category 3 or higher, appear during these crucial months.
The High Stakes of Timely Medication Delivery
For patients reliant on specialty medications, the delivery timing is not just a matter of convenience; it is crucial to their health and well-being … an urgency that becomes even more pronounced during hurricane season.
Pharmacists are acutely aware that even minimal delays can disrupt patient therapy schedules, potentially resulting in severe health setbacks or even life-threatening situations, especially when weather-related disruptions could compound delivery challenges. Major carriers are on high alert due to the vulnerabilities of their coastal hubs along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. Facilities like UPS’s regional hubs in Miami and Philadelphia, FedEx’s hubs in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and USPS centers in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas face significant risks from hurricanes, which can cause damage, power outages, road closures, and flight disruptions, stalling operations and affecting deliveries nationwide. The implications of these delays extend beyond patient health; millions of dollars can be lost due to wasted medications that expire before reaching the patients, not to mention the potential revenue leakage from sub-optimal patient outcomes, which can tarnish a pharmacy’s reputation and reliability.
Navigating Logistical Complexities
Specialty pharmacies face numerous logistical challenges in the medication delivery process, often caught in a whirlwind of unpredictability. Issues like unexpected weather events, compromised carrier routes, and specific carrier challenges demand constant vigilance and adaptability. Human factors, such as incorrect addresses or recipients not being home, add to the complexity, resulting in failed deliveries and additional costs.
ParcelShield Pre-Shipment Intelligence: A Leader in Specialty Pharmacy Logistics
ParcelShield’s Pre-Shipment Intelligence is a game-changer in specialty pharmacy logistics, especially during hurricane season. It’s not just about preventing delays; it’s about redefining the standards of proactive solutions. This innovative system uses real-time data and predictive analytics to identify potential risks along the delivery route before they can impact the shipment, setting it apart from other solutions in the market.
ParcelShield Platform for Specialty Pharmacy is more than just a tool; it’s a strategic partner. Powered by machine learning, it optimizes logistics intelligently. Preemptively foreseeing delays and offering proactive risk management ensures timely medication delivery. It does this by evaluating carrier infrastructure and routes with predictive analytics, preventing potential delivery issues before they occur, even in unpredictable weather conditions like hurricanes. This helps reduce costs and enhance patient outcomes, improving the pharmacy’s reputation and reliability.
The platform enhances the outlook for delivery schedules by providing a five-day forecast that helps identify the optimal carriers and modes for on-time package delivery. Through predictive analytics, ParcelShield mitigates shipping risks by avoiding high-risk areas such as specific zip codes, carriers, routes, and environmental factors like those prevalent during hurricane season. It leverages machine learning to predict disruptions, make better decisions, and reduce downstream costs.
Moreover, ParcelShield recommends reliable carrier services based on zip codes and delivery capabilities. It integrates the pharmacies’ negotiated carrier rates and risk factors to enable informed pricing decisions through data analysis.
Start to Finish: A Comprehensive Suite of Technology Solutions
In addition to Pre-Shipment Intelligence, ParcelShield’s platform revolutionizes specialty pharmacy logistics from start to finish, empowering pharmacies with a comprehensive suite of technology solutions, especially important during hurricane season.
- Visibility and Tracking: ParcelShield offers a real-time medication tracking platform using machine learning and data from UPS, FedEx, and USPS. It provides an intuitive interface for delivery visibility, predictive analytics, and patient-specific tracking. Customizable features support pharmacy branding and patient notifications, while a secure portal offers comprehensive tracking for all stakeholders. A sophisticated communication platform reduces call center costs, improves Net Promoter Scores, and supports patient engagement through various campaigns. Compliant with SOC 2 Type II Certified data security, it optimizes pharmacy operations with automated messaging, voice recognition, and variable call routing, allowing internal teams to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Protection and Intervention Services: ParcelShield offers configurable intervention services that proactively address potential delivery failures, which is crucial during the peak of hurricane season. These services provide optimized delivery processes that reduce resource needs and enhance operational efficiency. The platform’s “Defense-in-Depth” strategy provides early disruption detection for uninterrupted patient treatment. Operations center agents execute carrier interventions such as rescheduling, customer pickup, reattempt, redirection, signature waiver, delayed delivery, and return to sender. ParcelShield’s proprietary courier network, deployed nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, can rescue packages to ensure timely delivery, even in the face of hurricanes.
- Post-Delivery Intelligence: ParcelShield provides streamlined solutions for minimizing reshipments and ensuring documentation accuracy, fostering a sense of peace of mind for clients and patients. The platform ensures compliance and offers data-driven insights, including carrier performance benchmarks and cost optimization suggestions. It securely stores over ten years of client data for streamlined audits, payor contract compliance, timely delivery, and improved visibility. Intelligent algorithms drive the load-balancing tools, enhancing shipping efficiency and contributing to refined internal workflows.
Why Choose ParcelShield?
ParcelShield’s comprehensive logistics solution has earned the trust of seven of the top 10 US-based specialty pharmacies. Annually, over 62 million packages are tracked using its platform, protecting an average package value of $6,000. Through predictive planning and analytics, ParcelShield achieves a 30.9% reduction in carrier reships.
ParcelShield integrates advanced technologies with deep industry expertise. It addresses the unique challenges faced by specialty pharmacies, including those posed by hurricane season, and sets new standards for reliability and efficiency in healthcare logistics. Partnering with ParcelShield offers significant strategic advantages, ensuring every shipment achieves success from start to finish.
