Your Definitive Guide to Medical Flights for Patients and Families

Posted on September 05, 2017

Air medical transportation is something most of us don’t normally think about until it’s absolutely necessary. When finally the need for arranging a medical air transport does arise, the preparation of finding and employing one can become overwhelming. Surprisingly, many people don’t even know that services like medical air transport exist, where world-class aircrafts which are solely configured to carry critical care and medevac patients safely transport them to renowned hospitals across the world.

Whether you need air medical transport for yourself or your loved ones, arranging for a medical transportation can have its own set of complexities and dilemmas. Our definitive guide for medical air transport services aims to help lift your burdens in arranging the right medical transportation for your families and loved ones by offering you helpful information regarding the ABCs of employing air ambulance services.


Required Information for Coordinating Medical Air Transport

For those who travel frequently, air ambulance services can prove to be handy. Used during critical conditions, specialized medical air transport services assist people, who are injured while traveling or require immediate specialized care, due to a medical condition, to receive the required care at a local hospital or a nearby medical facility.

Because medical air transport is not something that happens every day, it is imperative for patients or their loved ones to have the required knowledge needed for arranging medical transportation. When you call a medical air transport company, you will be required to coordinate a few required details regarding the patient and receiving facility etc. Here is a handy list of the details you will possibly be communicating to the air ambulance services you call:

  • Overview of the patient’s medical condition along with in-depth details

  • Name and location of the patient for making travel arrangements

  • Insurance information to determine whether coverage for air ambulance services is offered

  • Name and location of the sending and receiving medical facilities

  • Whether or not a companion or family member will accompany the patient in-flight

This information will help the air ambulance services company in organizing the required medical air transport according to the patient’s condition to ensure a comfortable journey.


Accreditation and Certifications of your Medical Air Transport Company

Accreditation matters because it indicates the efficiency and quality of services an air medical transportation company provides. Before you decide on hiring a medical air transport, you must ensure they have the right accreditations. A few imperative accreditations which a medical air transport company must have include CAMTS, FAA and NAACS.

CAMTS is considered as one of the most prestigious certifications a medical transportation company can achieve. This voluntary accreditation ensures that the company meets the highest standards and assures potential clients of the level of service quality they offer to their patients. Similarly, FAA accreditation and NAACS certification assures of the professional flight and medical crew training of the medical air transport company.


Medical Transportation Crew and Flight Equipment

Each aircraft used by professional air ambulance services will be well maintained and come staffed with a professional crew who is accredited and accustomed to handling the complexities of long-distance medical transportation. At AirMed, we have completed over 18,000 missions in over 50 states and 6 continents, and have a perfect safety record which speaks for itself. We provide multiple levels of medical care on every medical air transport. Our jets are fully equipped with ventilators, defibrillators, neonatal equipment and our specifically trained nursing staff are accredited for critical patient care.


Commercial Medical Escorts and Bedside-to-Bedside Services

In certain cases of injury or medical conditions, patients require assistance to walk or need constant monitoring of health throughout their travels. The air ambulance services you arrange for must provide complete bedside-to-bedside care along with commercial medical escorts who ensure the patient’s safety till the nearest airport or their destination.

At AirMed, we ensure that all arrangements are made for ground transportation along with licensed commercial escorts who will provide complete bedside-to-bedside services without any hassles or worries at your end.


Air Ambulance Health Coverage Cost Variables

Even though air ambulance health coverage is not something a typical individual might think about, most people who have insurance through their employers generally assume that it is covered in their insurance plans. According to AAMS, for every 10 patients flown via air transportation, 2 may be uninsured while 5 are covered by government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which pay well below the air ambulance cost.

Often, commercial insurers do not offer patients adequate financial or medical protection and pass the financial burden on to the patient. In such a situation, the best option that can protect you and your loved ones from the crippling financial burden of the air ambulance services cost are the AirMed’s Membership Plans. These are designed to offer you and your family premier access to ultimate air medical transportation services 24/7/365 and have been tailored specifically for your requirements and include Annual, Short term, Extended Stay and Student plans, covering various factors and timelines for individuals as well as family members.


Trusted Medical Air Transport Flights for the Patient and their Families

Arranging for an air ambulance services for yourself or a family member can be an overwhelming experience but at AirMed, we believe that it doesn’t have to be. Which is why we provide complete coordination from obtaining medical clearance to booking tickets of medical escorts, arranging ground transportation for bedside-to-bedside services and offering boarding arrangements for accompanying family members of the patients.

At AirMed, we ensure that patients and their families receive unparalleled air medical transportation services. Whether you require air ambulance services for an elderly loved one, a physically disabled family member or a terminally ill patient, we have state-of-the-art jets and certified medical teams to provide you a seamless service 24/7/365. As a preferred medical transportation company the world over, we have been delivering on our mission of an uncompromised standard of medical and critical patient care with a highly experienced medical team in the sky.