When a rare ice and snowstorm swept through the Southeast, it grounded and delayed flights across the country, including those operated by commercial shipping partners. For most people, it meant delayed packages. For a leading national laboratory, it meant an urgent contingency plan had to be activated to get thousands of patient specimens moving.

The diagnostic engine behind patient care 

This nationally recognized laboratory is a leading provider of laboratory medicine and pathology services, serving healthcare facilities nationwide and around the world. Hospitals and clinics rely on the lab for comprehensive, timely testing to support disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and ongoing health monitoring.

The organization receives a high volume of specimens each day from across the globe, most of which are transported to its central processing location through established commercial shipping partners. When flights shut down, the impact was immediate. Samples were stranded, and time-sensitive testing was put at risk.

A coordinated effort that spanned multiple states

Upon learning their shipping partner’s flights were grounded, the laboratory’s team sprang into action, engaging a range of partners, including MedSpeed. Katie O’Brien, General Manager at MedSpeed, worked closely with the lab team to synchronize efforts, creating a solution within hours. MedSpeed’s national footprint enabled rapid support across eight key states, with teams from the following cities stepping up to help: Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Omaha, Columbus, Lexington, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Elmhurst.

MedSpeed teams drove routes averaging 120 miles one way to pick up and deliver specimens to airports in time for departing commercial flights. In certain regions, teams coordinated closely with other courier partners in a relay-style system: local couriers collected specimens and materials, transferred them to MedSpeed, and MedSpeed teams tendered them at airport cargo terminals.

Once flights arrived at the airport, MedSpeed teams retrieved the shipments and drove them directly to the laboratory’s central facility. Teams leaned in, adding routes, adjusting schedules, and doing whatever it took to keep operations moving.

Together, the laboratory and MedSpeed completed 75 work orders comprising thousands of specimens in just four days — nearly triple the usual volume.

The seamless coordination across states ensured that even in extreme conditions, critical patient specimens continued moving without delay.

Why it matters

Every sample represents a patient waiting for answers, and every step relied on MedSpeeders making it happen. Our entire team worked tirelessly to ensure critical samples reached their destination safely and on time. Their expertise and dedication in last-mile healthcare logistics kept this leading laboratory’s operations running smoothly during the unexpected.

Thank you to all of our MedSpeeders who mobilized, collaborated, and went above and beyond to support patient care!