Air Ambulance

Welcome to our Air Ambulance directory and news website. Here we provide a short discussion about the air ambulance industry, a directory of air ambulance services which exist in the United States and Canada, and finally we provide the most current news about the air ambulance industry. Here you will also find a book store consisting of books on how to stay healthy during international travel.

For air ambulance service, there are three basic levels of care offered. These are basic life support, advanced life support, and critical care. You should determine what type of care is needed and then determine if the air ambulance service offers that type of care. If you find a potential air ambulance service you should ask the appropriate questions to make sure that the needs of the patient you are transporting will be met. For a complete list of the questions you should ask when seeking an air ambulance go Choosing an Air Ambulance: Questions to Ask.

Medical personal included in these air ambulance services can be in the form of a couple paramedics, a paramedic plus nurse, and in some cases may even include a physician. Again, determine the needs of the patient and find out what medical personal are included in the service.

The pilots flying in these air ambulance services are highly qualified with many hours of flying in their log books, which is needed given that air ambulance services many times require flying in conditions which are less then optimal. When seeking an air ambulance service, you should not be afraid to ask about the flying experience level of the pilot who is flying. After all, the patient’s life and the medical personnel’s life is in the hands of the pilot.

Like many of the industries that have a high dependence on current technology, air ambulance services in the United States and Canada have developed and grown. Air ambulance services have developed into a highly efficient and rapid method for transporting patients in many different situations. From short helicopter transports to hospitals in the case of car accidents, to international movement of patients via fix wing aircraft, the air ambulance services provided in the United States and Canada should be able to meet your need. From it’s humble beginnings in 1947 with Schaefer Air Service of Los Angeles, to hundreds of aeromedical programs and thousands of aircraft involved in EMS transport as seen today, air ambulance service is a highly efficient way to transport patients from remote locations.

A distinction should be made when talking about the different types of patient transport. In general, there are two types of patient transport. These are emergency and non-emergency. The short distance helicopter airlifts are almost aways the emergency type and getting the patient quickly and safely to the appropriate and closest hospital is the most important element in this type of transfer. A long distance transfer via fix wing aircraft may be an emergency or non-emergency, and patient stability, comfort, and safety are the most important element.

Another distinction in terms of the different types of patient transport has to do with cost and who needs to pay for the transport. Cost determination is also determined by the type of transport and the situation in which the patient is being transported. In the case of a relatively short distance helicopter transport, if the person has insurance coverage, the insurance will cover the cost. If the person does not have insurance coverage, or the patient has maxed out their coverage, then the patient will be billed for the cost. If the patient is on Medicaid or Medicare, then Medicaid or Medicare will pay for the cost. Other then Medicaid or Medicare, no public funds are involved. Typical costs are around $5,000 to get a helicopter to the scene and around $100.00 per mile after that.

In the case of national transport of patients within the United States, whether you need to pay or not really depends on your health insurance. For those who do not have health insurance or their health insurance will not cover the cost, go to the National Patient Travel Center (NPTC). The NPTC exists to facilitate patient access to appropriate charitable medical air transportation resources in the United States.

In the case of international transport of patients, the cost can be higher. The cost can be in excess of $50,000, depending on your location and medical condition, and most insurance companies will not cover the cost needed to transport the patient back to the United States. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of emergency medical care outside the United States.

It should be noted that THE SOCIAL SECURITY MEDICARE PROGRAM DOES NOT PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL COSTS OUTSIDE THE U.S.A. The senior citizen who is on Medicare and is planning on traveling outside the United States should contact, prior to the trip, the American Association of Retired Persons to get information about supplemental Medicare plans which provide coverage outside the United States.

Air Ambulance, a leading international, medical patient transportation service, stated on their website that 35 percent of their clients had some form of insurance coverage. So based on our research, it appears as if local transport such as helicopter services is usually covered by insurance. Longer distance transport either interstate or intrastate, within the United States may or may be covered. International transport is usually not covered by insurance. Check with your health insurance provider to see if coverage is provided for the patient transportation needed.

There is specialized health insurance provided for travelers which cover the cost needed to transport a patient back to the United States. A plan available through AIG Travel Guard can provide you with coverage for unexpected medical expenses while on a trip. AIG Travel Guard is America’s leading travel insurance plan provider. They specialize in providing innovative travel insurance, assistance and emergency travel service plans for millions of travelers and thousands of companies throughout the world.

If it has been determined that your current health insurance will not cover the cost for patient transport, or you do not have health insurance, you can also call 1-800-296-1217. This HELPLINE number is provided by the NPTC and can also be found on their website. There is no cost for the information provided and it is available 24/7.

The cost for air ambulance service depends on several factors and the most important being the type of aircraft used to transport the patient, and the distance needed to travel. The larger and more complex the aircraft, the more expensive to operate. Also, it should be noted that in most cases, there is not enough space for family members to fly in the aircraft with the patient. In most cases, family members need to fly on commercial airlines to get back to the United States.

An interesting development in the air ambulance industry is the formation of international air ambulance services which provide memberships to travelers. These organizations can be considered patient transport insurance. If you are a member and you become critically ill outside your country of residence, say while on a business trip or a vacation, the air ambulance company you are a member of will provide for your transfer back to your country of residence and your hospital of choice. There may be no cost to you or you may need to pay a partial fee.

For this type of air ambulance service, the membership fee is usually around a few hundred dollars a year, which is very reasonable. If you are a frequent traveler, this is a viable option. The point is, you never know when you may become critically ill, and you need some contingency plan in case you are ill to the point where you can not fly on a commercial airliner. This is especially true for those individuals who may have a current medical condition or questionable health. During our research for this site, we did find some membership type air ambulance services, and those are included in our directory.

On our left navigation bar you will find our air ambulance service directory. This directory consists air ambulance companies which are based in the United States and Canada. The air ambulance services listed here for each state, and province, may be the emergency or the non-emergency transport type. Therefore, what you will find here is both helicopter and fix wing air ambulance services. Finally, if you provide an air ambulance service, helicopter or fix wing, in the United States or Canada and your service is not listed here, please send us an email by going to our “about” page, and send the name of your company and the URL for your company website. We will then add your operation to our directory, at no cost to you. We only list those companies which have a website. If your company does not have a website, we strongly urge you to get one.