A growing number of establishments in the health and social services network are now acknowledging the potential benefits related to healthcare logistics. However, healthcare logistics is composed of several elements and many establishments tend to neglect one of its dimensions: inter-site transportation. In a context where large institutions are now composed of several different sites, there are many exchanges of materials between those sites: drugs, patient records, clean and dirty linen, samples, etc. If healthcare managers are beginning to analyze transportation activities in their organizations, they still fall short from capturing the total cost of such activities. Based on several case studies, this report examines the situation prevailing in different establishments and proposes some best practices: 1) establishing a centralized transportation management centre which can provide a better financial outlook, 2) the mapping of transportation management processes and the use of forms to collect data and support those processes, and 3) optimizing the routing of transportation vehicles as a very last step. This study aims to provide a description of the actual situation regarding transportation in the Quebec healthcare sector. Further studies will have to be conducted in order to evaluate the benefits resulting from the implementation of different best practices.

To read more : Beaulieu, Martin, Julie Paquette and Jacques Roy, Gestion du transport dans les établissements de santé et de services sociaux au Québec, Centre for Productivity and Prosperity, HEC Montréal, July 2014. (Available in French only)