Service
Chain-of-custody management
The record that runs underneath every transport we handle: who held the shipment, when responsibility passed, and who signed for it.
Request a quote
Chain of custody is not a feature that can be added to a shipment. It is the structure the whole service is built on, and it is what a clinic's quality system will ask us for afterwards.
Each transfer of responsibility is recorded at the moment it happens, with the time, the parties and the condition of the seals. The completed record is issued to both clinics and to the enquirer once the case closes.
Who it is for
- Clinics that must evidence a transfer within their quality management system
- Laboratories reconciling inventory after a transfer
- Patients who want a written account of what happened to their material
- Any case where more than two parties are involved
What is transported
- Not applicable. This describes how every shipment is recorded
How it runs
Coordination - and what happens at each point
How coordination works
A single case reference is issued at assessment and used by every party.
Identifiers are reconciled at release and again at receipt.
Seal condition is recorded at each transfer of responsibility.
Before collection
- Issue the case reference
- Record the identifiers and container counts declared by the sending laboratory
- Record the courier assigned and their identification details
During transport
- Every transfer is dated, timed, named and signed
- Seal condition is recorded at each transfer
- Any deviation from the plan is recorded with the reason
At handover
- The receiving laboratory verifies seals and identifiers before signing
- The signature closes the custody chain
- The completed record is issued to both clinics and the enquirer
What we need from you
Information required to assess this route
Enough to judge whether the movement can proceed, and no more. Please do not send medical records.
- The identifiers the sending laboratory will apply
- The named individuals releasing and receiving the material
- Any recording format the receiving clinic's quality system requires
Limitations
Where this service stops
Stated up front, because finding out later is worse for everybody.
- The record describes custody. It is not a statement about the condition or viability of the material.
- We can only record what is declared to us by the sending laboratory.
Related services
Request a quote
Request a quote for chain of custody
Send us the two clinics, the material and your preferred timing. We will assess the route and confirm what it involves.
A quotation is provided following case assessment. Requirements vary by origin, destination and the organisations involved, and some routes cannot be supported.