Air ambulance Information
Flights and cost data for air medical (medivac) transport
Sometimes you need to transport patients through the air using advanced life support technology. In some cases, this is because a person needs specialized surgery in another part of the country or around the world. In other cases, people from other countries use air ambulances to seek treatment in the United States at clinics like the Mayo Clinic. In the US, air ambulances are also used for medical repatriation to transport patients back to their home countries. In some cases, hospitals will actually retain the ambulance for the flight because it is less expensive than maintaining a patient at the domestic hospital indefinitely. Vacationers also get air ambulance insurance to defray the potential cost of getting shipped back to their home country for treatment. This kind of insurance is invaluable, because the standard of treatment in some major foreign hospitals is not as good as what you will get on the flight back! In many cases, air ambulance companies can arrange for a nurse escort instead of a jet or prop plane, making it possible to get home on a commercial flight with an attending physician or nurse.
In some cases, air ambulance may also refer to helicopter evacuation or LifeFlight operations. These are somewhat different in scope, since they can move a patient within a limited number of miles (usually around 100) to a hospital, and they are used for critical cases between nearby hospitals or from an accident scene to a trauma center.
Notes and Special Information
Special note:Consult with physicians before transporting any patient!