Traffic congestion, long travel distances and limited transportation options can delay the movement of laboratory specimens, prescriptions and time-sensitive supplies. Healthcare organizations have found that drone delivery offers another transportation option.

Planning a drone service requires coordination among clinical, aviation and facilities teams. Organizations need to determine which deliveries would benefit, how staff will prepare and receive packages and whether their facilities can support reliable operations. Those requirements should guide aircraft selection.

Start with the Healthcare Need

A useful starting point is a specific transportation problem. A laboratory may receive specimens too slowly from an outlying clinic. A pharmacy may need a more dependable connection between campuses. A rural facility may struggle to obtain supplies without sending staff on lengthy road trips.

Each situation creates different requirements for payload capacity, delivery frequency and handling. It also creates a different business case.

Before evaluating aircraft or operators, healthcare leaders should establish how the current service performs. Relevant measures include delivery time, transportation cost, staff involvement, reliability and the consequences of delays. That baseline helps determine whether a drone service could improve the workflow and gives the organization a way to evaluate a pilot program.

The goal should be a measurable improvement in care delivery or supporting operations. A successful demonstration flight alone does not establish that value.

Separate Near-Term Delivery from Future Mobility

Unmanned aircraft systems, commonly called drones, can support smaller deliveries such as medications, laboratory specimens and medical supplies. Advanced air mobility encompasses a broader set of emerging aviation technologies and services, including aircraft intended to move larger cargo and, eventually, patients or clinical personnel.

A site suitable for a small delivery drone may require different infrastructure and operating procedures than a facility designed for larger aircraft.

Healthcare organizations can prepare for future possibilities while keeping initial investments tied to a defined service. Planning should identify what the first use case requires and which provisions could make later expansion easier.

Choose an Operating Model that Fits the Organization

Healthcare systems can approach drone operations through an outside provider, an internal program or a combination.

An outsourced service places much of the aircraft operation and aviation management with a specialist provider. It can suit organizations seeking an initial deployment without building an internal aviation function. The healthcare organization still needs clear responsibility for clinical handling, receiving procedures and integration with existing operations.

An internal program provides more direct control but requires staffing, training, equipment and ongoing compliance capabilities. Those responsibilities extend beyond purchasing or leasing an aircraft.

A hybrid approach can allow a provider to support early operations while the healthcare organization develops selected capabilities. Whatever the model, responsibilities should be explicit, including who maintains equipment, manages disruptions and handles packages at each end of the route.

Treat the Building as Part of the Delivery System

Drone delivery continues after the aircraft lands. The package must reach the laboratory, pharmacy or receiving department through a secure, workable process.

Facility assessments should trace that entire journey. A rooftop landing location may appear convenient from the air but create delays if staff must cross restricted areas, wait for elevators or travel far from their department to retrieve a package.

Key considerations include:

• Structural suitability: Capacity, load paths, vibration, waterproofing and wind exposure.
• Power and charging: Electrical capacity, charging equipment locations and backup power needs.
• Package handling: Secure handoff points, staff access and routes to clinical destinations.
• Connectivity: Network coverage, access controls and communication with the operator.
• Weather and maintenance: Exposure to heat, wind and precipitation, along with safe access for maintenance.

Existing helipads also require careful evaluation. Their presence does not establish suitability for different aircraft. Aircraft dimensions, airflow, charging needs and operational clearances can change the design requirements.

For new construction, evaluating these needs early can help teams coordinate structural, electrical and space provisions before they become difficult to accommodate.

Build a Phased Path to Deployment

An initial assessment should bring clinical, facilities, logistics, IT and aviation stakeholders into the same planning process. Together, they can select a priority route, review airspace and site feasibility, establish handling requirements and compare operating models.

A pilot program should then test the complete service, including package preparation, flight operations, receiving procedures and the backup process when flights cannot occur. Performance measures should address delivery reliability, turnaround time, cost, specimen integrity where applicable and chain of custody.

Funding opportunities may support assessment or early deployment, but long-term planning also needs to account for recurring operating costs and internal staff time.

Expansion should follow evidence from the initial service. Healthcare organizations will be better positioned to scale when they understand which routes deliver value, which workflows need adjustment and what their facilities must support as the program grows.

The strongest foundation for a healthcare drone program is a clearly defined clinical or logistics need, supported by an operating plan and facilities designed to make the service work every day.

Contact Haskell’s Healthcare Consulting and Design teams to envision and execute the transformation of your health system’s campus.

About the author: Kevin Meek, RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE is a Haskell Vice President and Division Leader of the Design and Consulting Services Group. Kevin received his Master of Healthcare Innovation from Arizona State University, a Bachelor of Nursing from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and serves on the Board of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design.