Medical Escort
Airline Medical Escort Services For Non Emergency Travel Assitance
Some patients have limited mobility but do not necessarily need air or ground ambulance response. Commercial airline medical escort service may be their best option. Airline medical escort is a safe, fast, and cost effective method to safely transfer patients that have limited medical needs and that meet airline minimum requirements. Call Global Air Ambulance today at 1-800-948-1220 or 941-536-2002, 24 hours a day, and we can discuss your patient’s specific needs.
Rather than attempt to assist a frail member of your family on a commercial airline, customers sometimes choose to reduce risks by hiring a dedicated medical patient assistance company, such as Global Air Ambulance to assist them. Global Air Ambulance has safely transported patients by commercial airlines, and other means, for over 30 years. In that time, we have transported over 200,000 patients with a 100% safety record.
Global Air Ambulance employs a multitude of skilled staff to ensure the safety and comfort of your love one, including medical assessors, case managers, flight followers, and of course skilled and experienced flight registered nurses, all working together to ensure that your patient travels stress free. Our nurses follow strict medical protocols, while navigating the stresses of domestic and international travel, and focus their utmost attention on the care and comfort of your patient.
We travel worldwide, domestically and internationally, on commercial airlines and on privately chartered aircraft as well.
Why Choose Airline Medical Escort?
For those patients that meet Global Air Ambulance and commercial airline requirements, airline medical escort is a safe and economical alternative to air ambulance and ground ambulance transport. Ground ambulance transport, although less expensive than air ambulance travel, is not always suitable for a patient because of the length of time in transit. Airline Medical escort has proven to be a good transport alternative for patients needing basic medical care.
For international flights, your patient will be able to lay down for most of the trip in a seat that reclines to a bed. However, the patient must sit upright, unassisted for take-off and landing. And on all trips, your patient’s comfort needs and basic medical needs are attended to by a skilled registered nurse from the time they leave their origin facility until the time they reach their final destination.
What Are The Requirements Of Commercial Medical Escort Patients?
Airlines do require patients to meet minimal requirements. Patients must be able to sit up with their own muscularity during take-off and landing. Patients cannot be strapped into a sitting position. They must also be non-aggressive, both verbally and physically. Airlines also do not want extensive care to be given during the flight, so minimal medical care can be given, including a limited amount of oxygen.
Global Air Ambulance also has some requirements which must be satisfied before a patient can fly with a medical escort on a commercial flight. The patient must have basic medical needs that can be safely cared for on a commercial airline flight. The patient must be able to understand and to follow instructions. Because of pressure drops during flight, the patient must be on 2.5 liters or less of oxygen.
There are also a few minimum legal requirements. If a patient is traveling from a medical facility, the patient must be given a general discharge by their attending physician and the attending physician will need to provide a letter stating that the patient is fit to fly. Our staff will then provide this letter to the Medical Director of the airline so that we can gain pre-authorization to fly. In addition, confirmation of a receiving facility and bed are necessary prior to transport. If the patient is of sound mind, they must be in agreement with the transport in order for Global Air Ambulance to pick them up from their facility.
Typical Airline Medical Escort Patients
Typical patients that benefit from airline medical escort include patients that have mobility difficulties, patients that have orthopedic injuries, or behavioral health issues, patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s, cancer patients, or patients with other special needs.
Some patients are not recommended for commercial airline medical escort. Patients that have behavioral issues in which they act out would not be allowed on a commercial airline. Patients that have oxygen needs higher than 2.5 liters per minute cannot be supported on an airline. Patients that are more than seven months pregnant are at too high of a risk due to cabin pressure drops at altitude, to fly commercially. Also, patients that have intestinal blockages or who have had very recent surgery could be harmed by airline pressure drops when flying commercially.
How Airline Medical Escort Works
Global Air Ambulance manages all the travel details of your medical airline escort. Our Airline Medical Service includes:
During and after the initial inquiry for commercial medical escort
Our case manager with collect all needed information, request that our chief flight nurse complete a medical assessment of the patient to ensure the patient can safely travel by commercial airline, create a contract for your review, contact sending and receiving facilities to confirm discharge and acceptance, and develop a preferred itinerary for the patient’s transport. The case manager will discuss all available flight options with the family prior to booking, purchase airline tickets, contract with ground transportation, purchase hotel rooms for our flight staff, and produce needed documentation for the airline and airports.
If your patient is being repatriated through travel or private insurance, we can assist in working with the insurance company to obtain prior medical approval and financial guarantees on your behalf.
On the day of the commercial airline medical escort
The registered nurse will arrive at the patient’s location to escort them to the airport by wheelchair van or town car. The RN will wheelchair the patient through the airport, taking care of the patient’s luggage and hygiene needs, and will process the patient through security to the gate. The nurse will then wheelchair the patient to a first class or business class seat.
The airline medical escort nurse will attend to all the patient’s needs during the flight, providing needed medications and taking periodic vital signs to ensure the patient’s stability and comfort. The nurse will help the patient de-plane and retrieve any checked luggage. The nurse will then board the arranged transportation and ride with the patient to their destination. At the destination, the nurse will provide a detailed trip report to the care giver.
After completion of the commercial airline medical escort trip
Our accounting and insurance staff will manage your after trip needs. We will prepare and submit all required paperwork, including insurance HCFAs, as well as provide you with an invoice for your insurance company.
Your patient may benefit from airline medical escort. Give Global Air Ambulance a call to discuss your patient’s needs. Our case managers are available 24 hours a day to provide assistance at 1-800-948-1220 or 941-536-2002.
How Much Does A Medical Escort Cost?
Commercial Airline escort cost varies depending on origin and destination locations, airline availability, and length of advance notice of transport. Because commercial airline escort involves purchasing first class tickets for both the patient and the medical team member the more advance notice the better. In addition cost varies due to the nature of airline ticket price fluctuations. Our flight coordinators work to find direct flights if available. If direct flights are not available, we choose those flights that have optimal layover times as well as alternate connections in the event the airline experiences weather delays or mechanical issues.
If commercial airline escort is the patient transport service that you choose we will make sure that the travel day goes as smoothly as possible. Most importantly, the patient will be well cared for throughout the trip from beginning to end by our medical team member. In addition, we will manage all the other travel details including transportation to and from the airports, ticketing, check-in, security, luggage, boarding and deplaning.