What STAT Should Mean
Dispatched on the call, not queued. One shipment, one courier, one vehicle. No other stops, no consolidation, no sorting facility.
How to Tell Which One You're Buying
| Ask | Real STAT | Prioritized route |
|---|---|---|
| Does it ever share a vehicle? | No | "Sometimes" or "rarely" |
| Is it dispatched on the call? | Yes | "On the next available run" |
| Can you commit to a pickup time now? | Yes | "We'll call you back" |
| Same courier start to finish? | Yes | Maybe |
When You Genuinely Need STAT
- Hold-time-constrained specimens
- Blood product emergency release
- Organ and tissue
- A radiopharmaceutical dose against a calibration window
- Sterile trays for a scheduled case
- AOG or line-down parts.
When You Don't
Recurring volume that happens on a schedule. That belongs on a route at route pricing, and buying it as STAT is the most common way organizations overspend on courier service.