When a patient is facing a time sensitive medical emergency or has a condition that cannot be treated in their area, air medical transport is often the most effective method of moving from one place to another. Let s take a look a what a patient and his or her family can expect during an air medical transport flight.
What Emergency Medical Flights Are Like
Once a patient has made arrangements with an air ambulance service, the medical staff will consult with the patient s doctor or nurse to determine the necessary equipment and specialists needed for the flight. The patient and his attending nurses or physician will then travel to the airfield, often through the use of an ambulance, and the patient will then be boarded onto the plane. In the air, the patient will have all of the medical equipment and attendants necessary to transport him or her safely. The air medical transport company can make arrangements for an ambulance or other vehicle to be waiting at the air field to safely deliver him or her to the final destination. A member of the patient s family can often travel with the patient if requested, and the patient s family is kept well informed of the patient s condition and progress throughout the flight.
Non Emergency Medical Flights
Many families and patients choose to use an air ambulance service for flights of passengers who are not facing life threatening emergencies. For example, one of the most common types of non emergency medical flights is for an elderly patient who is relocating to a new medical facility. Just like emergency medical flights, the medical staff is thoroughly briefed of the patient s condition prior by the patient s doctor prior to the flight, and the plane is equipped to provide the necessary assistance throughout the flight for every medical contingency.
Types of Planes Used for Transport
All air ambulance service flights are flown by FAA licensed operators with an excellent safety record. Although there are a wide range of aircraft that are used for emergency medical flights and non emergency medical flights, the most common types of planes that are used for transport are Gulfstream, Learjet and twin engine Cessna models. Luxury aircraft can often be arranged for by an air medical transport company at the request of a patient or his or her family.
Are These Services Covered by Health Insurance?
Most air medical transport services accept a number of different types of medical insurance, but a patient is often advised to contact his or her insurance carrier to confirm that his or her policy covers this plan. Approximately one third of the patients who use these services are covered by their insurance policy to some extent. Medicaid patients have medical coverage for emergency medical flights so long as they can show that the flight was a necessity, while Medicare rarely covers any form of air medical transport. Air ambulance service is a safe and reliable way to transport the sick or injured to a medical facility that is miles away.
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