A recent national report on the costs of air ambulance services detailed several instances of people receiving just-in-time medical transportation, but at a huge financial cost – as much as $25,000 for a relatively short flight by air ambulance.
According to one cost-comparison tool, medical transportation by air ambulance can cost between $2,000 for a short flight for an uninsured patient, to more than $50,000 for a longer domestic flight – or $200,000 for an international flight.
In many of these situations, patients were transported from home or an accident site to a trauma center, and received life-saving care in route.
However, in non-emergency situations, there are more cost-effective ways for patients to be transported long distances for medical reasons. One of these is commercial air medical transportation.
Commercial air medical transportation makes use of regularly scheduled commercial flights to transport patients with non-critical medical needs. Because the logistics required for medical transportation can be extremely complicated, many people work with a medical travel assistance company, such as SentinelMED, to make travel arrangements. Medical transport though a medical assistance company can be extremely cost-effective in cases where a person has received emergency medical care far from home, or after a scheduled procedure, such as a surgery at a hospital “center of excellence.”
How to Choose A Medical Transportation Provider
The job of a medical transportation provider is to transport a patient from a medical center to his or her home in safety and comfort. However, the services provided among providers can differ.
We recommend that you ask the following questions before hiring a medical transportation service:
- Will the patient be assisted throughout the travel process? Experienced providers are able to handle the logistics of arranging flights, ground transportation from a medical center or hotel to the airport, and from the airport to the patient’s home or receiving medical center; manage any required paperwork or documentation; and arrange for a trained medical escort to accompany the patient door-to-door.
- Who are your medical escorts? The care a patient receives during medical transportation will depend greatly on the training of his or her medical escort. At SentinelMED, our medical escorts are nurses (or physicians) who meet with the patients the day before the transport and go over important health care information with his or her treatment team at the hospital or medical facility.
- How do you match escorts and patients? A medical transportation service should take several factors into considerations when matching a patient with a medical escort, including the type and severity of the patient’s illness and injury; his or her native language; his or her country of origin; and any cultural concerns. Such considerations can make a patient feel more comfortable during travel, and can expedite exchanges in customs or with immigration agents.
- How much will medical transportation cost? The cost of medical transportation and a medical escort will vary depending on the distance traveled, the level of care a patient needs, and ground-transportation costs to and from the airport. SentinelMED’s team of qualified logistics and medical professionals are able to determine the appropriate form of affordable medical transportation service and help manage the process from end-to-end. We also maintain excellent relationship with vendors, including airlines and car services that alert us to last-minute availabilities or provide good-partner discounts. When we receive discounts, we are able to pass along these savings to the hospital or individual absorbing the cost of the air medical transport service.
At SentinelMED, we understand the complexity of delivering exceptional care to the sick, elderly or injured patient who is away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about our services and staff.
