When traveling abroad or even within the US, travel insurance coverage can make all the difference should you become sick or injured. That’s especially true if the coverage includes medical case management. Lori Calavan, PA-C, had learned firsthand about the importance of medical travel insurance in her work with SentinelMED. She was interviewed recently by Insider Travel Report (ITR) to provide her insight on the topic.
James Shillinglaw, the editor-and-chief of ITR, asked Calavan specifically about the benefits of travel insurance through Allianz Global Assistance, which offers a range of travel related policies and services. As an Allianz partner, SentinelMED provides outsourced medical case management services to Allianz policy holders.
According to Calavan, reasons to purchase medical travel insurance include:
Immediate access to medical professionals any time of day. The SentinelMED team includes physicians, physician assistants and nurses who are trained in emergency, critical care, aeromedicine and hypobaric medicine. This training and their own personal experiences give members of the team insight into the needs of patients who experience an illness or injury while traveling. They can provide consultations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist with medical case management and to make treatment and transport recommendations.
Thorough records review. SentinelMED’s services includes thorough reviews of a patient’s medical records, including lab and imaging results. The team gathers medical reports from treating medical facilities, as well as the patient’s family, to ensure it has comprehensive information.
Evaluation of a medical facility’s capabilities. In its role, SentinelMED regularly evaluates medical facilities and their areas of specialty to determine if they can provide the level of care needed for an injured or ill traveler. If not, the team can help locate the nearest medical facility that can provide the appropriate level of care.
Determination if patient is fit to travel. Some medical conditions, such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung), can create complications during air travel. Through its records review, SentinelMED can determine if a patient can travel safely by air and what precautions need to be taken.
Peace of mind. Without medical travel insurance, travelers may feel that they have no choice but to “tough it out” if they become ill or injured. Purchasing travel insurance gives you the option to seek appropriate care, if it’s available, and to receive recommendations from an experienced medical team.
Calavan also told Shillinglaw that people should carefully review the details of policies before purchasing travel insurance. She recommended that people choose policies that include medevac coverage. Such policies typically provide for medical repatriation or emergency medical evacuation. These forms of transport, often by private plane or air ambulance, can be extremely expensive for travelers who do not have medical travel insurance, Calavan said.
About SentinelMED
SentinelMED works with travel insurance providers, companies and individuals to provide medical case management, as well as transport, medical repatriation and medical escort services. In many cases, people who are sick or injured can travel on commercial flights with care provided by a medical escort – a cost-effective alternative to air ambulance services.
Members of the SentinelMED team have strong working relationships with major airlines and can help facilitate special requests for medically compromised travelers and others who need assistance to travel long distances. Our team also works closely with hospital case managers and families to provide safe and comfortable door-to-door transportation from discharge to a receiving facility or caregivers.
At SentinelMED, we understand the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about the services that SentinelMED offers or its staff.
