It takes just one weather emergency to illustrate the fragility of the nation’s healthcare supply chain. In 2024, after Hurricane Helene caused substantial damage to the Baxter plant in North Carolina, the manufacture of critical IV fluids and dialysis solutions had to be halted. Since Baxter supplies 60% of U.S. IV solutions, this single event caused more than 80% of healthcare systems to face shortages. Many had to delay procedures. 
Other logistics issues can also affect patient care. At an Integris Health cancer center, a sudden UPS schedule change meant essential medicines arrived after caregivers had gone home.
How can healthcare systems bring clarity to chaotic supply chains and protect patient well-being? Integrated freight management offers a path forward.

The hidden link between freight management and patient outcomes

Integrated freight management improves patient care by maintaining a continuous, timely flow of vital supplies. When logistics are efficient, hospitals reduce delays, minimize errors, and free clinicians to focus on patients.
Inefficient freight management can negatively affect:

• Patient treatments – Poor healthcare supply chain visibility can delay medication deliveries or result in insufficient medication orders.

• Surgeries – Hospitals may have to delay procedures if vital supplies get held up in transit.

• Medication availability – If the logistics manager doesn’t have information about ordering history and current shipments, there could be a shortage of certain medicines.

Integrated freight management in healthcare:

Prevents treatment delays

An integrated system uses advanced software to streamline logistics. With real-time, historical data-driven demand forecasting, hospitals can be proactive and have the resources when they need them. Visibility prevents overstocking and frees up clinical space. Procedures are no longer at risk of delays or cancellations due to a lack of medications, supplies, or equipment. Vital cargo arrives promptly. 

Enhances patient safety

Temperature-sensitive medical products, such as blood and vaccines, require specialized storage and transport to prevent spoilage. Comprehensive freight management, which for healthcare clients includes cold chain logistics, maintains product quality to enhance safety and efficacy. Maximum visibility into freight operations and the supply chain helps identify possible disruptions to sustain the continuity of care during unexpected events.

Optimizes clinical efficiency

The more efficient hospital professionals are, the more time they can devote to their patients. Manual logistics tasks can distract clinicians and nurses. An automated, integrated system allows hospital staff to refocus on patient care. System-wide healthcare supply chain visibility prevents overstocking, freeing up space for clinical areas or additional patient beds.

Supports patient-centric care

Integrated freight supports personalized treatment plans and care that extends beyond the hospital into home healthcare programs. Optimized deliveries based on individuals’ treatment plans improve patient satisfaction. At-home patients receive timely deliveries of medicines, lab results, and home infusion supplies from their visiting nurses.
Reliability in healthcare logistics leads to prompt delivery of medicines, hospital supplies, and medical equipment, which patients notice and directly benefit from. Hospital efficiency builds confidence, trust, and better patient experiences.

What integrated freight management looks like in healthcare

What is integrated freight management in healthcare? It is a comprehensive supply chain strategy that integrates logistics functions into a single, interconnected system.
Traditionally, hospital systems have siloed departments that handle their own ordering and shipping, leading to wasteful spending, errors, and understock or overstock situations.
With integrated shipping, healthcare managers can coordinate shipments, gain system-wide tracking visibility, and manage vendors from a central platform. This unified process for the movement of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and supplies leads to greater efficiency, reliability, and cost-effective operations, all of which are vital to patient safety.

Challenges unique to healthcare logistics

Healthcare logistics are unlike those of any other industry. Hospital systems must consider:

• Temperature-sensitive materials – Vaccines, biologics, and other medical products must stay within precise temperature ranges or risk becoming unsafe. This requires careful handling, monitoring, and specialized infrastructure.

• Regulatory compliance – Strict healthcare regulations protect patient safety and data integrity while preventing counterfeits — but they add complexity for logistics teams.

• Urgency – Delays in delivering critical supplies can have severe consequences. Logistics vendors must adapt quickly, even during storms or infrastructure disruptions.

Health systems require a nimble supply chain with accurate forecasting and inventory management that can handle unpredictable demand. Otherwise, there can be critical shortages. The healthcare supply chain must also manage both time-sensitive and non-time-sensitive products. An optimal supply chain requires planning, route optimization, and flexible delivery arrangements.
Failure to address any of these issues can compromise patient safety, lead to financial losses, and result in costly regulatory noncompliance. Integration is the bridge from fragmented supply chain chaos to coordinated care.

The power of healthcare supply chain visibility

Hospital administrators must have 100% visibility into their health system’s supply chain. Patient safety, financial health, and operational efficiency are what’s at stake. Hospital supply chain visibility provides complete tracking of every item ordered and shipped. With supply chain visibility, management can be proactive rather than reactive, consolidating orders, tracking and allocating expenses to individual departments and facilities, knowing shipment statuses, and negotiating with suppliers for the best rates. With total visibility from integrated freight management, healthcare systems can also meet compliance requirements and reduce waste from overstocking supplies with a finite shelf life.
After implementing an integrated freight management system, the supply chain and accounts payable teams gained visibility and control over their freight expenses. The new system saved hours of manual processing, improved process flow, and freed healthcare professionals to spend more time with patients.
Having an integrated freight system and 100% visibility across all locations made a tremendous difference. Tailored freight management solution enabled streamlined billing, standardized routing instructions, consistent vendor messaging, and accurate cost allocation. Supply chain visibility and actionable insights from robust reporting allow health systems to make informed, quick decisions about its freight shipments.
Visibility leads to predictability, and predictability enhances patient outcomes.

Human-first logistics: How Triose bridges technology and care

When a blizzard disrupted deliveries to the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s (UTMC) new hospital pharmacy, we stepped in to keep medications moving. What began as a temporary ordering platform became a long-term partnership powered by TRIshipPRO, with real-time tracking and proof of delivery that streamlined pharmacy operations.
Our philosophy is “not just freight, but human connections through logistics.”

Integrate your freight management for patient well-being

Healthcare supply chains face constant uncertainty, but integrated freight management brings clarity. With centralized visibility, hospitals can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and focus on what matters most—patient care.

Learn more about Triose’s integrated freight solutions and discover how we can help you provide the best care for your patients.