long-distance medical transportation

One of the scariest thoughts that may enter your mind while preparing for a long or extended stay or trip is, “What will happen if I get sick, hurt or disabled while I’m gone?”   It’s a question as important as any research you might do for your travel, but certainly not as pleasant as thinking about your destination.
Travel insurance for health care, or trip cancellation/interruption is an option, but the reality of what to actually do when it happens is frightening, and the costs of travel in this situation is a gigantic challenge, especially if insurance isn’t available, for one reason or another.
Families often must face a difficult set of decisions for a loved one.  “What is the best way to provide emotional, social/relational/spiritual /family support for the one we love?”  Proximity to family is a huge motivator, often dictated by the expense of travel back and forth by a family member(s), or the cost of a care facility where the patient is located.
Or, “since we live so far away, can the whole family find a better way to care for our loved one closer to home, where we can also provide care and love too?
Satisfying relocation needs for near-death circumstances often becomes a factor.
A medically supervised transfer is a way to satisfy the family’s need, to be closer to the patient, or for the patient to be closer to a next phase, i.e. hospice care, a move into a relative’s home, or to a different medical facility.
We don’t want to think about such things, but life is real, and often includes decisions about transporting loved ones for medical reasons.  It’s comforting to know there are professionals whose life’s work is to help in these circumstances.

A word about Medicare reimbursement for medical transportation

In most cases Medicare will not reimburse for non-emergency transportation. They will only pay for a medically necessary transport to the closest medical facility,  usually in an emergent situation. The need for a stretcher does not constitute a medical necessity. It is fraudulent for an ambulance service to file for Medicare in a non-emergency setting and claim that they performed a procedure on a patient that they did not do.

If you seek reimbusement, be sure to file a request before the transport and be prepared to defend your request proving the air or ground transport is medically necessary with letters from the transferring and receiving physician

The comfort factor: One of the most frequently asked questions we receive in the transport center is ”How comfortable is the ride?” 

Many patients / clients  who do not like to fly or cannot fly must travel by ambulance or an extended van.  An Ambulance, A Limo, a shuttle van, an SUV an RV does not provide the same ride as a Motor Coach. The motor coach is built on a special chassis with a very long wheelbase (316”)  which gives the same smooth ride as a tour bus. Coaches are made to provide comfort for long distance trips and are not like an ambulance or van, which is for short distances.  Coaches have independent front suspension that gives a more stable ride and eight air bags that cushion the bumps to provide the smoothest possible ride. At twice the weight of an RV and four times the weight of an ambulance, the motor coach smoothes out the roughness of the road.  Ambulances are many SUV’s are built on a truck chassis with no air suspension system and thus have a”hard” ride.   

The medical coach is specially designed for the client traveling long distance, which means they must have a smooth ride, a hospital-type bed with bed rails that allows the client to sit up or recline.  The aisle must be wide enough for a stretcher to on and off-load the client. A full size bed with a special hospital mattress for bedsores instead of a hard metal stretcher with a 3-inch pad on an ambulance adds to the comfort of the trip. Clients can sit up in bed and watch the scenery out of a large bay window vs. looking out the back of an ambulance or van lying on a stretcher.  The on-onboard private bathroom is more comfortable and more accessable than getting out of an ambulance or van to use a public restroom. Other important amenities on a long cross-country trip are a TV with the option to watch movies on a CD player.  A microwave and refrigerator makes for hot and cold drinks, fresh foods, and snacks. An added benefit is to have a relative ride along with you which is not possible in back of an ambulance and most extended vans do not have room for a comfortable recliner seat. The coordinators describe the MedCoach as just like being at home but you are in a “home on wheels”. So, how’s the ride? “The smoothest we can make it”. Soother and more comfortable than any other way to travel by ground. Coaches are made for comfort.

On the surface, air ambulance companies may appear to be the same and, as a result, you may be inclined to make your medical flight selection based primarily on availability and/or cost. For those of us in the medical field, especially those with experience in the air ambulance business, it is readily apparent that not all air ambulance companies are comparable. So without experience, how can you recognize these differences?

Consider your own experiences with medical professionals and it’s likely that you’ll recall some of them whom you preferred over others. Why? Were they more compassionate? Did they take a special interest in you? Maybe they were a little more adept at inserting those needles or they simply took a moment to fluff your pillow. Isn’t it interesting that most of us evaluate our level of medical care on the personal attention – the “bedside manner” – we experience?

Although the medical care and personal safety of patients is very serious, all air ambulance flight team members – from flight nurses to flight surgeons – should be trained to recognize and respond to the most intimate of human emotions. Compassion. Kindness. Respect.

The Air Ambulance company should be fully licensed, insured, and nationally accredited. They should also boast a highly-trained medical crew and a safety- and service-oriented flight crew. They should have the most advanced Medical Flight equipment and medical tools available to ensure the effective medical care.

When considering these options, we invite you to look at Air Ambulance by Air MD. Our company has a history of caring and performing above expectations.