U.S. Messenger provides on-demand, scheduled routes, and on-call medical delivery services.
To best serve our customers, we provide a range of service schedule options:
Scheduled Route Medical Courier Service
A scheduled route is a stop that exists on a route at a scheduled day and time and doesn’t change.
On-Call Medical Courier Service
On-call medical courier service is a stop within 5 miles of an existing route that can be added without affecting the route’s delivery time.
On-Demand Medical Courier Service
On-demand medical courier service is an urgent STAT delivery with a very narrow delivery window that is otherwise unable to be serviced by an existing route.
We have transported over
4.3 million
COVID tests across the Chicagoland area.
It’s great to have U.S. Messenger in our toolbox when STAT requests come across our desk. We used you yesterday and were very impressed with the service and customer service follow up. In my book, you guys are the top courier company
John G., Heath Care Industry
We offer tailored processes to keep your medical specimens secure.
U.S. Messenger has consulted with labs, clinics, hospitals and physicians to create a comprehensive delivery service.
Highly trained and certified drivers
U.S. Messenger’s Driver Development Department recruits driver candidates and provides company-mandated and industry-directed training. This unit also operates a continuous training program, ensuring all drivers have up-to-date knowledge, such as Blood Borne Pathogen training, to deliver medical specimens with safety and security in mind. Our medical specimen delivery program provides our clients with a quality-assured, safe and accountable partnership.
Special handling for your tests, specimens and samples
All medical specimens are handled with appropriate temperature requirements. We can deliver samples in a cooler at ambient temperature, cold-not-frozen (wet ice), or frozen (dry ice), depending upon the lab’s requirements.
Bag & Track system for convenient, safe medical courier service
Scanning each individual sample into and out of the system is slow and prone to error, so U.S. Messenger has developed our own advanced Bag & Track System for medical deliveries. With our system, all your properly packaged samples are placed in one large plastic bag with a unique bar code and then sealed with permanent adhesive. U.S. Messenger provides these secure bags at no additional cost.
For safety, accountability, and time-efficiency, the USML Bag & Track system is our preferred packaging and shipping method. Instead of managing multiple sample codes, the driver scans one code into the system at pickup and out of the system upon delivery. The courier does not touch any individual specimens — the bag is sealed and can only be opened by the recipient lab. This the safest, most effective way to ensure control, chain of custody and accountability in the medical courier industry.
Our team also provides location scan codes, which the courier scans at every pickup and delivery. With our logistics management operating system, get notified of scans or view updates online. We can accommodate almost any technology configuration. Contact us for a consultation.
Ensure your samples arrive at the lab safely with our medical courier service.
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Frequently asked questions
What makes a courier service "medical-grade"?
Medical-grade courier service means couriers trained in HIPAA compliance, chain-of-custody documentation, proper specimen containment, and the handling requirements for time-sensitive or temperature-sensitive materials. It also means reliability standards that clinical workflows depend on — not gig-economy availability.
Does U.S. Messenger handle both medical records and lab specimens?
Yes. We transport physical medical records, imaging (X-rays, MRI films), lab specimens, pathology samples, and pharmaceutical materials. Each delivery type has specific handling protocols our team is trained to follow.
What is chain-of-custody and why does it matter for medical deliveries?
Chain-of-custody is a documented record of who handled a specimen or record at each step of the delivery process — from pick-up through delivery. It protects the integrity of lab results, ensures legal admissibility of records, and satisfies healthcare compliance requirements.
How do you handle time-sensitive medical deliveries?
Our dispatch team prioritizes medical deliveries based on criticality. For STAT or urgent requests, we can have a courier en route within minutes. For scheduled routes, we build in reliability buffers that hospital and lab workflows require.
Are your couriers employees or independent contractors?
U.S. Messenger is staffed with W-2 employee couriers — not gig contractors. This means consistent training, accountability, and professionalism that clinical settings require. Our couriers undergo background checks and training before handling medical materials.
How do I set up medical courier service for my practice or facility?
Fill out the quote request form on this page. We'll follow up to discuss your volume, schedule, destination requirements, and compliance needs, then set up an account with documentation standards that work for your team.