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Does my patient require an Air Ambulance transport?
Patients that require air ambulance transportation are people who require
medical attention or are unable to tolerate sitting upright. Air Ambulance
is the fastest method of transportation for long-distance trips. Federal
Air typically transports ill patients home who need to relocate closer to
their family. Our typical trip is greater than 300 miles, and the patient
is unable to travel comfortably by any other means. Federal Air Ambulance
will generally offer several alternatives for consideration.
How do I know if an Air Ambulance operator is a qualified provider?
The least expensive company is often not the best choice. Here are a few important criteria to consider when making an air ambulance decision:
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the aircraft licensed by the FAA?
- Does the company provide “bedside to bedside” service?
- Does the company have good client references?
- Does the company have good financial references?
How far in advance should I schedule the transport?
Aircraft and transports are scheduled on a “first come, first serve” basis.
It is always beneficial to contact us as soon as your transport plans begin
to take shape so that we can reserve the aircraft for you for the specific
date you wish to travel. It is best to give us 24 hours notice, if possible.
We will make every effort to conform to your time schedule.
That said, many of our clients fly the same day that they contact us. We are
accustomed to working on very short notice. Our transplant candidate transports
are flown within hours of the call.
How do I pay for the Air Ambulance transport?
We accept personal and bank checks, bank wire transfers, and pre-approved
insurance as forms of payment. We also accept all major credit cards:
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Payment by multiple
credit cards (by one person - or between several people) can be coordinated
and is acceptable. We also accept debit cards.
Similar to purchasing a ticket onboard a commercial flight, financial arrangements
for payment of an air ambulance transport must be finalized in advance of departure.
Some insurance companies will pay some of the cost of air ambulance transportation.
Please provide the Flight Coordinator with your insurance information and we will work
with your insurance provider to obtain pre-authorization for your patient.
Does insurance cover Air Ambulance transport costs?
Some insurance plans cover air ambulance services. It is important to check your
plan to see if it includes an air ambulance benefits and the specific criteria.
By calling the customer service phone number on your insurance card, you may
determine if your coverage provides for air ambulance. If so, our Flight
Coordinators will contact your insurance company on your behalf and attempt
to obtain pre-authorization. If we are able to obtain written pre-authorization
from your insurance company, we will invoice them directly.
Medicare and Medicare supplemental secondary insurances generally do not cover air ambulance.
Medicare does not preauthorize benefits. Subsequent to the transport, we can provide you
with a detailed Paid Invoice and Flight Nurses Notes should you wish to file a claim
directly.
How much does it cost?
During your initial telephone inquiry, our Flight Coordinators will collect some
general patient condition information. That information will determine the cost
of an air ambulance transport: the distance the patient will be flown, the type
of aircraft utilized, and the patient’s medical needs during the flight.
Our primary objective is to provide clients with the lowest price possible without
compromising patient care. Given the patient’s medical condition, we always attempt
to provide several travel options and/or aircraft alternatives in an effort to meet
the family’s budgetary requirements. We strive to respond to you with a price
estimate and transport alternatives within 15 minutes of your phone call.
Is “Bedside to Bedside” service important?
Bedside to Bedside service indicates that ground transportation is included to
transport the patient: 1) from the discharging facility to the aircraft, and
2) from the destination airport to the receiving facility. Not all companies
provide this service. We believe that bedside to bedside service is very
important to ensure well-coordinated and timely transfers for the patient.
We provide this service on every flight.
An experienced Flight Coordinator is assigned to follow the progress of each flight
from our dispatch headquarters. We make every effort to coordinate the logistical
details to minimize the patient’s transit time from bed to bed, allowing for a smooth
and seamless transport for the patient.
Is your price all-inclusive?
Our price is all-inclusive. It includes ground transportation on both ends of the
trip as well as all other costs.
Can a family member travel with the patient onboard the flight?
Yes. It is not necessary that family members go along, but they may, if desired.
There is almost always space for one or two additional passengers—sometimes
three additional passengers—and there is no charge.
How much luggage can I bring onboard?
We respectfully request that you please be very conservative with your baggage.
Luggage space is limited on medical flights due to the amount of medical equipment
that is stored on the aircraft. Small, soft-sided duffel bags are more easily stored
in small spaces than hard-sided luggage. Our customers usually ship their large,
non-essential items prior to the transport.
What if my patient’s condition worsens just before the scheduled transport?
We realize that medical conditions change. We ask that the family and the medical
facility call us immediately if there is a change of medical condition that might
preclude the patient from traveling on the appointed transport schedule. If the
aircraft and crew have not departed from their homebase, we will reschedule the
transport to a date when the patient can travel. Unfortunately, if the aircraft
and crew are already en route to pick-up the patient before we receive notice of
the patient’s inability to transport, a cancellation cost based upon the prorated
expenses to return the aircraft and crew to its origination plus the prevailing cancellation fee will be assessed.
We live in a small community far away from a major commercial airport. Can you still help us?
We fly into hundreds of local and regional airports throughout the country each year.
Our Flight Coordinators will research our database and find the closest airport to your
patient’s origination and destination to minimize the ground transport time. The
chances are great that there is an airport within minutes of your specific origination
and destination.
Patients that require air ambulance transportation are people who require medical attention or are unable to tolerate sitting upright. Air Ambulance is the fastest method of transportation for long-distance trips. Federal Air typically transports ill patients home who need to relocate closer to their family. Our typical trip is greater than 300 miles, and the patient is unable to travel comfortably by any other means. Federal Air Ambulance will generally offer several alternatives for consideration.
The least expensive company is often not the best choice. Here are a few important criteria to consider when making an air ambulance decision:
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the aircraft licensed by the FAA?
- Does the company provide “bedside to bedside” service?
- Does the company have good client references?
- Does the company have good financial references?
Aircraft and transports are scheduled on a “first come, first serve” basis. It is always beneficial to contact us as soon as your transport plans begin to take shape so that we can reserve the aircraft for you for the specific date you wish to travel. It is best to give us 24 hours notice, if possible. We will make every effort to conform to your time schedule.
That said, many of our clients fly the same day that they contact us. We are accustomed to working on very short notice. Our transplant candidate transports are flown within hours of the call.
We accept personal and bank checks, bank wire transfers, and pre-approved insurance as forms of payment. We also accept all major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Payment by multiple credit cards (by one person - or between several people) can be coordinated and is acceptable. We also accept debit cards.
Similar to purchasing a ticket onboard a commercial flight, financial arrangements for payment of an air ambulance transport must be finalized in advance of departure.
Some insurance companies will pay some of the cost of air ambulance transportation. Please provide the Flight Coordinator with your insurance information and we will work with your insurance provider to obtain pre-authorization for your patient.
Some insurance plans cover air ambulance services. It is important to check your plan to see if it includes an air ambulance benefits and the specific criteria. By calling the customer service phone number on your insurance card, you may determine if your coverage provides for air ambulance. If so, our Flight Coordinators will contact your insurance company on your behalf and attempt to obtain pre-authorization. If we are able to obtain written pre-authorization from your insurance company, we will invoice them directly.
Medicare and Medicare supplemental secondary insurances generally do not cover air ambulance. Medicare does not preauthorize benefits. Subsequent to the transport, we can provide you with a detailed Paid Invoice and Flight Nurses Notes should you wish to file a claim directly.
During your initial telephone inquiry, our Flight Coordinators will collect some general patient condition information. That information will determine the cost of an air ambulance transport: the distance the patient will be flown, the type of aircraft utilized, and the patient’s medical needs during the flight.
Our primary objective is to provide clients with the lowest price possible without compromising patient care. Given the patient’s medical condition, we always attempt to provide several travel options and/or aircraft alternatives in an effort to meet the family’s budgetary requirements. We strive to respond to you with a price estimate and transport alternatives within 15 minutes of your phone call.
Bedside to Bedside service indicates that ground transportation is included to transport the patient: 1) from the discharging facility to the aircraft, and 2) from the destination airport to the receiving facility. Not all companies provide this service. We believe that bedside to bedside service is very important to ensure well-coordinated and timely transfers for the patient. We provide this service on every flight.
An experienced Flight Coordinator is assigned to follow the progress of each flight from our dispatch headquarters. We make every effort to coordinate the logistical details to minimize the patient’s transit time from bed to bed, allowing for a smooth and seamless transport for the patient.
Our price is all-inclusive. It includes ground transportation on both ends of the trip as well as all other costs.
Yes. It is not necessary that family members go along, but they may, if desired. There is almost always space for one or two additional passengers—sometimes three additional passengers—and there is no charge.
We respectfully request that you please be very conservative with your baggage. Luggage space is limited on medical flights due to the amount of medical equipment that is stored on the aircraft. Small, soft-sided duffel bags are more easily stored in small spaces than hard-sided luggage. Our customers usually ship their large, non-essential items prior to the transport.
We realize that medical conditions change. We ask that the family and the medical facility call us immediately if there is a change of medical condition that might preclude the patient from traveling on the appointed transport schedule. If the aircraft and crew have not departed from their homebase, we will reschedule the transport to a date when the patient can travel. Unfortunately, if the aircraft and crew are already en route to pick-up the patient before we receive notice of the patient’s inability to transport, a cancellation cost based upon the prorated expenses to return the aircraft and crew to its origination plus the prevailing cancellation fee will be assessed.
We fly into hundreds of local and regional airports throughout the country each year. Our Flight Coordinators will research our database and find the closest airport to your patient’s origination and destination to minimize the ground transport time. The chances are great that there is an airport within minutes of your specific origination and destination.
