Before signing a medical courier contract, get clear answers on driver employment status, HIPAA/BAA coverage, chain-of-custody documentation, backup coverage, and how pricing changes as your volume grows. A courier that looks good on price alone can turn into a compliance and reliability problem within a few months.
The Questions That Actually Matter
- Are your drivers W-2 employees or subcontractors? Subcontracted, app-dispatched drivers are harder to train, vet, and hold accountable for PHI handling.
- Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement? If the answer isn’t an immediate yes, that’s disqualifying for any specimen or PHI-bearing route.
- How is chain of custody documented? Ask for a sample of what your team will actually see on a completed run — not just a marketing description.
- What’s the backup plan when a driver calls out or a vehicle breaks down? A single point of failure on a STAT route can cost a patient a delayed diagnosis.
- Is pricing flat, tiered, or does it change as volume grows? Get the escalation structure in writing before you need it.
- Can you provide references from facilities like ours? A courier serving hospitals should be able to point to hospital clients, not just retail deliveries.
Red Flags to Watch For
Vague answers about driver employment status, reluctance to put chain-of-custody or temperature-control processes in writing, and no clear escalation path for STAT or after-hours requests are all signs the courier hasn’t built its operation around healthcare logistics specifically.
How Red Fox Answers These Questions
Red Fox Medical Courier has served healthcare facilities for 14 years with our own W-2 drivers, a signed BAA on every account, documented chain of custody and temperature control on every run, and live real-time tracking so your team can see exactly where a delivery stands. We currently cover Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Arkansas, and additional metro markets. Request a quote and ask us every question on this list — we’d rather you ask now than find out later.