Corporate travel has increased considerably in 2022, although not to pre-pandemic levels. The ongoing pandemic, with its multiple COVID variants, remains a factor for planning business travel. However, it is just one reason why companies should consider providing business travel medical case management for their employees. In case of an accident or serious illness, business travel medical case management can help ensure employees get appropriate care, even when they are far from home.
What is Business Travel Medical Case Management?
Medical case management is a service provided by SentinelMED to coordinate medical care for patients who become injured or ill while traveling or living far from home. Our medical case managers serve as liaisons between the medical professionals who are treating the patient and the patient’s family, employer, and regular doctors. As medical case managers, the SentinelMED team monitors treatment protocols and assesses insurance coverage to make sure the patient receives the care they need.
If appropriate care is not available where the patient is located, medical case managers can help determine the best mode of transport for the patient. SentinelMED’s team of logistics professionals can then arrange transport, both within and outside the United States.
Medical case managers can also support employees who have chronic health concerns. Surveys have shown that employees who regularly travel internationally are more likely to be obese and report higher levels of stress. These conditions contribute to a higher risk of disease, injury, and serious illness.
What Does Business Travel Medical Case Management
from SentinelMED Include?
Professional case review. Our medical professionals can review a patient's medical records and the level of care available at a patient's location and discuss treatment options with local physicians. Our staff includes physicians and physician assistants fluent in German, Spanish, French, English, and other languages. They can communicate directly with medical professionals in those languages without relying on interpreters.
Around-the-clock access. SentinelMED’s medical providers are available 365 days a year and provide services to patients worldwide. The team includes physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners experienced in emergency and travel medicine.
Transportation and logistics coordination. Sometimes the most appropriate care for a patient is not available at their location. Rather than contact an outside transport service, SentinelMED's medical case managers work closely with their in-house logistics professionals to review and coordinate all aspects of care and travel.
Medical case managers help determine if appropriate care is available at the nearest large city or if the patient needs to be transported across countries – or continents. Once that decision is made, the logistics team goes to work arranging ground transport, air transport, or both. They coordinate every detail of the transport, including booking flights, arranging visas, and securing any needed medical equipment needed during transport. Their goal is to arrange the most cost-effective, comfortable, and safe experience for each traveler.
For patients in stable condition, and when appropriate, SentinelMED can arrange transport by commercial airline. This is often a cost-effective alternative to air ambulance transport, which can cost thousands of dollars for a short fight to more than $100,000 for international transport.
If patients want assistance during transport, we can provide medical escorts who can provide basic care during the flight.
Insurance considerations. The SentinelMED logistics team regularly works with major travel insurance and health insurance providers when coordinating medical transport. They are familiar with the terms and conditions typically included in such policies and can make transport recommendations that balance the patient’s health needs and insurance coverage.
About SentinelMED
SentinelMED provides business travel medical case management to corporations in the United States and throughout the world. Our team also offers medical transport, medical repatriation and evacuation, and medical escort services. They have provided medical transportation and evacuation throughout the world and in challenging situations, including natural disasters, military conflicts, and medical evacuations for COVID-19.
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.
