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Procedures for Air Transport
 Initial contact is made with Air Ambulance Network when a caller phones any of our eight International or Domestic toll free 800
telephone numbers. At that point, one of our flight coordinators will speak directly to the caller and obtain pertinent information regarding the location, condition, and circumstances involved with transporting the patient. In order to properly and thoroughly complete a successful air ambulance transfer, many questions need to be answered. Upon receipt of the information, direct contact with the patient's family or physician is necessary. There are many unexpected details unique to each situation, which require our direct communication with the family to establish the family's needs and avoid any costly mistakes. All of these details are then communicated to the social service worker or the case manager through a conference call with all parties involved.
Once the above information is received, the Flight Coordinator relays the information to our Medical Coordinator. The Medical Coordinator then contacts the attending hospital and receives a medical briefing from the nurse and/or physician caring for the patient. Based on this information, the Flight Coordinator then determines the closest aircraft with the correct medical team composition and determines the cost to perform the flight.
In most cases this process requires about 20 minutes. The Flight Coordinator can respond to the inquiry within minutes. The quote provided may give the family several choices of aircraft depending on the flight parameters and the patient's needs. For example, the Flight Coordinator may quote the cost of performing the transport on a Learjet as well as a pressurized twin engine plane. This may include two to three medical personnel, two ground ambulances and full Advanced Cardiac Life Support equipment. Whenever possible, we try to combine the transfer with a return transfer going in the opposite direction which can be a considerable cost savings to both parties.
Once the family has agreed to use our service, we will obtain formal written authorization to proceed. Authorization to Proceed Forms are modified to accommodate particular billing arrangements with the family.
Response time for emergency flights can be as short as two hours from the time the Flight Coordinator obtains the initial Authorization to Proceed. Elective flights can be arranged as quickly as a few hours after notification, or months before an anticipated trip. However, whenever possible reservation of a jet is encouraged.
Inquire About an Air Transfer
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