Q&A

Transporting a patient from Point A to Point B is very complex. However, we have escorts who stay with the patient via any means of travel necessary, whether it be a train, cruise ship, airline, or other types of commercial transportation.

We can even install stretchers aboard commercial airlines. Additionally, we arrange details for luggage, pets, hotels, insurance, evacuations, etc. to be taken care of. Every aspect of the transfer is included in your service; it’s just one way we provide complete peace of mind during an otherwise stressful situation.

A person who…

• Falls ill or suffers a serious injury while abroad
• Becomes seriously ill or suffers serious injuries and cannot be moved by traditional means
• Has an injury or illness that requires specialized attention
• Who has an injury or medical condition is very serious and there is a need for speedy attention

…as well as critical needs patients such as burn victims, young children, and infants, or VIP clientele such as foreign dignitaries and politicians

We know the close bond that a patient and his or her family can have with their pet and we consider this very important bond. For Air Ambulance 1 to make plans for your pet we would need information about its weight, size, and vaccinations. If the pet can’t be taken on board, we will make arrangements for their safe transportation.

A medical aircraft is customized with live support machines, stretchers, medication, physicians, nurses, and medical escorts who stay by your side from one bed to another in a safe, patient, and comfortable manner. Our Flight Coordinators and Medical Escorts make the difference as to why we feel we stand out from the crowd.

During the flight, medical care is given by a professional physician with the aim of diagnosing, treating, or preventing injury or illness should be provided:
(a)In accordance to set standards of any medical practice
(b)In accordance to set clinical standards governing site, extent, and duration
(c)While not focusing on the economic advantages to the health plan provider or the convenience of the sick patient or the health care provider or scheduled physician

There are so many other companies out there who claim to give exceptional service. Often, people are misguided by the over-emphasized promises that such companies make and this makes it hard to know who is the trusted service provider. The good news is that you can trust Air Ambulance 1. Customer satisfaction is always our main goal; it’s one of the reasons why over 200,000 flights in the past 15 years have made us the leader in the air ambulance industry.

Your only responsibility is to select your receiving physician and hospital, the scheduled date and time for travel, and giving the details needed for facilitating payment. If you are not too sure which facility you want to be received at, we can help you make that choice as well. Air Ambulance 1 will take up the rest of the process from there. Our main focus is to give seamless transport for the patient and the people accompanying him or her.

Take comfort in knowing that we are a fully insured and licensed company. All the aircraft we use are certified under FAA Part 135.

Other well-known companies offering air ambulance services have employed casual salespeople to man their phones and outsource medical paramedics or nurses to give the much-needed medical care. At Air Ambulance 1, we do things differently. On-call is a fully trained and professional medic and they are charged with handling all incoming calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The medical team at Air Ambulance 1 is comprised of a flight nurse and a critical care paramedic who have a combination of over 10 years. Our professionals have many years of training in emergency medication, critical care, and other specialized medical fields.

Our aircraft are equipped with standard and specialty medical equipment. They include ventilators, stretchers, cardiac monitors, oxygen, balloon pumps, intubation and suction equipment, IV, and any other equipment that a patient may need. Air Ambulance 1 aircraft also have a wide array of antibiotics used to treat parasitic and bacterial infections.

For every flight, two medical practitioners are present. Of the two, one is either a critical care nurse or a physician. When necessary, assistants to a physician, percussionists, respiratory therapists, and paramedics can be provided depending on the needs of the patient.

Our health care providers at Air Ambulance 1 are air and board-certified and have a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the field of providing emergency medication. All of our medical staff go through an intense session of orientation before they can fly with any patient. They also take part in a 100 hours session of clinical and didactic training every year. A comprehensive quality assessment is completed after each trip.

Air Ambulance 1 stays beside the patient from the very onset of when they arrive at the bed of the patient from the sending hospital or facility, on the flight, when the patient is moved via ground ambulance at the airport, and during transfer to the receiving hospital.

The last thing one wants to worry about during a medical emergency is the money. We take this burden off of your shoulders by working closely with each patient to come up with pricing that is within your budget. We also accept different forms of payment, all of which you can use at your convenience.
You can pay Air Ambulance 1 via:

• Cash
• Major credit cards
• Money orders
• Cashiers cheques
• Bank wire transfers

Medical insurance is also accepted.

If the current situation of the patient is not dire and they are not in the critical stage, we can offer you other forms of transportation such as ground transport, commercial medical flight escorts, and airline stretchers in commercial airliners. Empty leg programs are also available.

Call 1(800) 424-9000 to get an instant quote for your specific needs.

Any quote that is prepared by Air Ambulance 1 includes the medical aides who will travel alongside the patient, the ambulance used on the ground, the flight team, the medicines and equipment to be used, and the flight charges. If there are any other extra charges, they will be prepared before embarking on a flight and the patient will be given adequate notice.

If a patient presents Air Ambulance 1 with a “letter of medical necessity” will it mean that his or her insurance provider will cater to the flight charges?

In most cases, the contract is between your insurance provider, you, and maybe your employer. The discretion is therefore left with the medical director at the company that has provided you the insurance cover. When you are faced with such a situation, the legal team at Air Ambulance 1 can help iron out such issues for you.

Yes. This is something that sets us apart from most air and ground ambulance services. Our patients always receive assistance filing and managing their medical insurance claims.

In some cases, yes. For you to get a definitive answer to this question you would have to speak to your flight coordinator or case manager.

The legal team at Air Ambulance 1 will scrutinize your insurance policy before embarking on a flight and work with all medical personnel to increase the chances of it being covered by your insurance company. We will always go the extra mile to present the claim to your insurance company and work hard to make sure you get your benefits at no additional cost.

The ideal luggage is carry-on only. There is usually space for just two pieces of luggage or less. The obvious reason for this being the huge amount of space needed for the medical team and equipment

It will depend on the size of the aircraft being used, but usually anywhere from 1 to 5.

At Air Ambulance 1 we consider the duration of the flight, the condition of the patient to be moved, and the number of passengers who will accompany the patient.

Since we value the comfort of all on the flight, yes, we do provide meals for the patient and family members on the flight.