Throughout National Healthcare Supply Chain Week (October 4-10), we’re proud to celebrate our supply chain colleagues and their significant contributions to patient care. We’re grateful for the impactful ways they support healthcare organizations and their communities.
For the millions of Americans living with chronic or serious health conditions, a delivery from Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions is more than just a package arriving at the door. It may contain the supplies needed to monitor blood sugar, manage wound care, support incontinence or ostomy recovery, or maintain a daily health routine. That is why we have built our supply chain to ensure packages are delivered with quality products, reliably and efficiently.
at-Home Solutions operates in a unique part of the healthcare industry as a DMEPOS (durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies) provider. This means it delivers disposable medical supplies and some devices directly to people who need them to manage their condition safely and independently from home. The business has built a supply chain capable of reaching most Americans within one business day. Recently, it has been investing in automation and robotics in its distribution network to expand operations and capacity and create a stronger, more resilient supply chain focused solely on home delivery.
The at-Home Solutions team knows that at the end of every order is a person who counts on them. They know that reliable, high-quality delivery helps the recipients live healthier, more independent lives, and the team works hard every day to earn their customers’ trust.
Yolanda Castillo (right), an inbound receiver for the at-Home Solutions distribution center in Ontario, California, has been earning trust for over 20 years at Cardinal Health. She’s transitioned through a variety of warehouse roles; currently, she helps oversee receiving, storing and picking products for the distribution business. Through the years, Castillo has learned how every step in the warehouse connects back to a person.
It all starts with an order
Castillo and her team feel that sense of responsibility for each order from the moment it enters the system. They may be picking and packing products on behalf of home medical equipment providers and home health agencies, or through at-Home Solutions’ direct-to-patient provider businesses.
Regardless, the first step is always the same, Jerri Herrera, a customer service supervisor for at-Home Solutions, explained. “Once we receive an order, we validate all the information before it’s sent for fulfillment, including verifying the person’s identity, inventory availability, special instructions, and that all the documentation is in place to bill supplies through insurance,” she said. “These simple checks are critical to help the package move with precision through our at-Home Solutions supply chain. This helps set up a successful delivery experience, ensuring the right products are received at the right time.”
After the order is reviewed and approved, it is turned into a ticket order and sent through our warehouse management system, a unified platform that acts as a digital highway connecting to one of at-Home Solutions’ nearly one dozen distribution centers across the country. Powered by automation and AI, this warehouse management system helps track inventory, process orders flowing into the distribution center, and ensure the warehouse is staffed appropriately to meet demand. This is especially helpful as teams prepare for unexpected scenarios, like extreme weather events, that could impact timely deliveries.
“My team and I take great pride in the work we do every day, from picking and packing to shipping,” said Castillo. “Every order is a reminder that someone has placed their trust in Cardinal Health which is why we treat their order with the care and attention it deserves.”
Jamie Deist, who oversees at-Home Solutions’ nationwide distribution network as senior vice president, said it’s people like Castillo who make our supply chain unlike any other. “Every package that leaves one of our distribution centers reflects the skill, dedication and care of our warehouse teams,” he said. “Behind every delivery are employees who understand what’s at stake for the people we serve. Their commitment helps ensure people have the supplies they need, when they need them, and reinforces what it means to lead with care.”
Building accuracy and speed into a package’s journey
Inside an at-Home Solutions warehouse, employees use the ticket orders as their checklist to make sure each person receives all the supplies they’ve requested. On average, two to five employees may touch a package before it’s placed on a delivery truck.
They use one of two methods to pick supplies, depending on their facility’s equipment, technology and capacity. Some distribution centers rely on conventional picking, where employees use carts to pick items from designed warehouse racking locations. At newer facilities, AutoStore robots automatically retrieve inventory and deliver it directly to employee workstations. Supplies in these facilities are stored in a cubic grid of stacked storage bins, increasing warehouse capacity and helping teams serve more people faster.
Then, all at-Home Solutions distribution centers use automated, on-demand packaging systems that create custom-fit boxes at a rapid pace. This technology helps reduce packaging waste, better protects supplies during transit and improves fulfillment efficiency by creating custom-sized and shaped boxes based on the contents of each order.
Kyanna Rayford, a warehouse employee for our Fort Worth distribution center, appreciates how these investments help her and her colleagues reach their everyday goal of making on time service. "Automation has changed the way we work for the better, helping simplify processes and move through orders more efficiently. That means, we can spend more time focused on maintaining a high level of quality and care our customers expect.”
Once all items are picked, they’re moved to the shipping and receiving area. Even in the final steps before a package leaves the building, accuracy remains a top priority. While teams prepare a package for shipment, they know the final destination is more than an address. It’s a person relying on those supplies.
Some of our facilities have SLAM lines, which automate the addition of shipping and labeling information, as well as box inserts where needed. SLAM stands for scan, label, apply and manifest:
The final handoff: Delivering care beyond the warehouse
After a package is labeled and secured, it’s ready to be picked up by an outbound truck and go to its final destination. Castillo and her colleagues know that, ultimately, once the package arrives at a person’s home, its contents can bring comfort, stability and peace of mind.
“We believe our work makes people’s days brighter. It’s the greatest feeling,” said Castillo. “Our goal is to make their lives more comfortable, and we work day and night to meet that goal.”
It’s not uncommon for our at-Home Solutions warehouse employees to go above and beyond for the people they serve. In one case, Castillo recalled a supervisor who drove more than three hours to hand-deliver a product to someone who had run out of supplies and urgently needed them that evening.
“Our products have to arrive on time,” said Castillo. “Moments like that remind us how meaningful this work is.”
Learn more about Cardinal Health’s supply chain: