FAQ

What is an air ambulance?
An air ambulance is a business class aircraft (ex. Gulfstream, Lear, King Air) that has been medically customized with stretchers, advanced life support equipment, medications and a specialized flight-trained medical staff.

Why would a patient need an air ambulance?

• Extensive or urgent medical attention is needed and time is critical
• Critical illness or injury where patient cannot be transported by commercial means
• Injury or illness while traveling in a foreign country
• Illness or injury requiring treatment by a specialist

What do I need to do to prepare for a medical transport?
The only things you are responsible for are choosing a receiving hospital and physician, time and date for trip, and furnishing payment information. We can help you select a receiving facility if you are unsure of the best choices. If your travel dates are flexible, we will work with you on trip options. Angel Medflight will arrange everything else – air and ground transportation, medical team, flight crew, accompanying passengers, coordinating medical personnel and facilities, filing insurance claims, and anything else that may arise. Our goal is a smooth transport for all involved.

What other services do you offer?
 Angel Medflight is dedicated to efficient, caring patient transport. We arrange ground and air ambulance transfers; medical escorts on airlines, cruise ships, railway, or by other commercial means; airline stretcher transports for international flights; and basically any affiliated service that assists in making the trip easier for patient and family. We’ll make arrangements for pets, luggage, automobiles, fellow travelers, customs (if international transfer), hotels, insurance, facilities – anything the patient and their family need to feel comfortable and in good hands during the trip.

Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, we are fully licensed and insured. We utilize aircraft that are FAA Part 135 compliant. All flight crew and medical staff maintain all required licenses and certifications.

How many medical personnel are with the patient on each transfer?
A minimum of two medical personnel, one of whom is either a physician or a critical care flight nurse, accompany the patient on each transport. Paramedics, respiratory therapists, physicians assistants and perfusionists are also available for transport dependent upon the patient’s needs.

What kind of training/experience do they have?
All of our medical staff are board certified, air certified and have at least five years experience in emergency medicine. They undergo a rigorous initial orientation prior to flying with patients. Additionally, all medical personnel participate in 100 hours of didactic and clinical continuing education annually. We also perform a quality review following each trip.

What does “bedside to bedside” medical transport mean?
To ensure continuity of care, our medical team is with the patient from the very beginning. Our team arrives at the patient’s bedside at the sending facility or hospital. We meet with sending medical staff, assess the patient’s condition and comfort the patient. Our team accompanies the patient in the ground ambulance to the airfield, constantly monitoring patient condition and offering comfort and support. The Angel Medflight team flies with the patient, then accompanies the patient by ground ambulance to the receiving hospital or facility. We discuss the trip with the receiving medical staff to ensure that they are up to date on the patient’s current condition.  At this point, we have come full circle, and in so doing, have assured the patient has received the finest medical care.

What equipment and medications are on board the aircraft?
Standard medical equipment includes stretchers, oxygen, ventilator, cardiac monitor/defibrillator, resuscitation equipment, suction, intubation equipment, balloon pump, IV, ACLS drug complement, and any other specialty equipment necessary for each individual patient. Angel Medflight also carries the most proactive array of antibiotics for bacterial and parasitic infections in the air ambulance industry.

How much does air ambulance transport cost?
Patient transport via air ambulance is not inexpensive. But it is often the safest, fastest way to get a patient into the best hands for urgent medical care. Angel Medflight is committed to finding the most cost effective transportation without compromising the quality of care. Call 1-877-ANGEL70 and we’ll quickly provide a no-obligation quote for you.

Are all costs included in your quote?
Included in an air ambulance quote are ground ambulance, medical personnel, flight crew, equipment and medicines and the flight itself. Any additional charges, usually contingent upon the patient’s upgraded condition, would be made prior to the flight and with full knowledge of the patient.

What forms of payment does Angel Medflight accept?
During this critical time, finances are the last thing you want to worry about. We try to make the financial aspect easier by working with each individual patient to create the most logical, sensibly priced transport package. In addition, we accept various forms of payment for your convenience.
- All major credit cards
- Bank wire drafts
- Cash
- Cashiers checks
- Letters of guarantee from insurance companies
- Money orders

Is there a less expensive alternative to air ambulance transport?
In cases where the patient is more stable and time is less critical, we can provide the following alternative methods of transport:

• AMTRAK medical escort. We reserve a special needs car and staff it with our medical personnel and necessary medications and equipment.
• Long range ground transport. We transport the patient via ground ambulance staffed with two drivers, medical personnel, equipment and medications
• Commercial flight with medical escort. Patient is accompanied by an ER or ICU Physician, Critical Care Flight Nurse or Critical Care Flight Paramedic (and of course all necessary medical equipment) on a commercial airline.
• Commercial airline stretcher service. For international flights only. We arrange with the airline to remove several passenger seats from the rear of the aircraft to accommodate patient, stretcher, medical personnel, and equipment

Call 1-877-ANGEL70 for an in-depth discussion of the patient’s medical transport needs.

Does insurance cover air ambulance transport?
In most cases, medical necessity must be proven. Angel Medflight’s insurance division will work to obtain prior authorization from the insurance carrier to help lessen the costs associated with medical transport.

What is “' medical necessity”?
Generally speaking, it is that which is reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury.

What forms of insurance do you accept?
Angel Medflight has worked to secure contracts with the majority of major national health insurance carriers.

Does your company help patients file insurance paperwork?
Absolutely. In addition to helping show medical necessity and obtain insurance authorization, Angel Medflight insurance personnel will file all necessary insurance paperwork. Our goal is to make the transport as easy as possible for all involved.

How do you determine which aircraft is right for each patient?
Factors we take into consideration when choosing the aircraft are patient’s condition, length of flight, and number of passengers traveling with the patient. All aircraft are equipped with the same life sustaining medical equipment and flight-experienced medical teams.

How many pilots are on board?
Angel Medflight operates all aircraft with a two-pilot crew at all times.

Are meals served on the plane?
Yes, we offer catered meals for family members and for patients if there are no diet restrictions. We will accommodate special diets and special requests. 

How many family members can travel with the patient?
This is determined by the type of aircraft used to transport the patient, the number of medical personnel on board, the patient’s condition, length of the flight, and medical equipment needed. On the larger aircraft (Gulfstream, for example), up to five family members can fly with the patient. If the patient is traveling in a turborprop aircraft (i.e., King Air), one or two family members could accompany the patient.

How much luggage can patients/passengers bring?
Generally, there is room for no more than 2 small pieces of luggage due to the significant space utilized by onboard medical equipment and personnel. We will make arrangements to ship other luggage and non-essentials for the patient and family members. 

Are pets allowed on board?
We understand how important pets can be to patients and family, and we take this into consideration. We would need to know size and weight of animal before determining whether the pet can accompany the patient. We would also ask that the pet be up to date on vaccinations and confined to a pet carrier during the flight. We will gladly arrange for your pet to be transported commercially if there is not enough space on the air ambulance aircraft.

Are there restrooms on board the aircraft?
Yes, all the aircraft we fly have on-board lavatories.