Working in war zones, disaster zones, and urban emergency departments gave Dr. Eugene Delaune the broad medical experience needed to manage care for travelers thousands of miles away.
Delaune, the chief medical officer for SentinelMED, recently described some of those experiences in an article in the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal.
In addition to sharing the story of his toughest medical evacuation, Delaune explained how SentinelMED supports travel insurance companies.
"Usually, when travelers need medical care, the doctors treating them have no training in aerospace physiology and the unique situation of a patient being transported while ill, so we help guide them," Delaune told interviewer Megan Gaen.
“We consider factors such as expansion of gases, the difference in partial pressure of oxygen at altitudes, and inaccessibility of immediate care while a patient is on a long flight, whereas a travel insurer also must think about underwriting, premiums, and sales,” he said.
In addition to providing specific experience in travel medicine, SentinelMED’s services help travel insurance companies “separate business and financial considerations from medical decisions,” Delaune explained. This separation helps ensure appropriate medical decisions are made regarding patient care and transport.
You can read Delaune’s full interview with Gaen here.
More About Eugene Delaune’s Medical Experience
Delaune has medical licenses in 13 states, was trained by NASA as a landing-site physician to care for, and was trained and certified by the U.S. Air Force as a Critical Care Aeromedical Transport Team (CATT) Physician. He is a native English speaker and is fluent in German.
As the chief medical officer for SentinelMED, he assists in planning and executing hundreds of aeromedical transports each year. He leads a team of doctors and physician assistants who manage travel assistance cases for several insurance and travel assistance clients. In this role, he is actively involved in the planning and execution of the aeromedical transportation of hundreds of patients each year.
About SentinelMED
SentinelMED coordinates medical transport, medical evacuation, and medical escort services to people who need assistance to travel long distances. 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.
Our team also works closely with travel insurance companies, hospital case managers, and families to provide safe and comfortable door-to-door transportation for individuals requiring medical evacuation or repatriation in the event of illness or a natural disaster.
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.
