We found safety differences between for-profit operators and nonprofits.
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That’s partly because of poor decisions pilots may sometimes make when they feel pressure to transport patients quickly, says Ira Blumen, M.D., medical director of the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network, who researches air-ambulance accidents.īut Consumer Reports’ analysis of data from the National Transportation Safety Board on air-ambulance accidents between 20 suggests another reason. They crash more often than other air taxis, research shows. Vercruysse, M.D., a trauma specialist at the University of Arizona Medical Center who has written about the overuse of air ambulances.īeing taken by air ambulance may actually increase the risk of something else going wrong. Patients less than 200 miles from a burn center with burns covering less than 30 percent of their body can usually be safely transported by ground, says Gary A. In Ashlyn's case, although her burns were painful, they covered just 12 percent of her body. The most frustrating part, according to industry experts we spoke with, is that many people taken by air ambulance could have been safely transported by ground ambulance. Deregulation of the airline industry in the late 1970s left states unable to regulate air-ambulance services or to protect consumers from predatory practices. For one thing, the bills are expensive, averaging more than $30,000, research shows. Consumer Reports-which collects patient stories about surprise medical bills-has seen a spike in complaints about air ambulances in the last year, including the Stouts’.Ĭonsumers seem to have plenty to complain about. Getting hit with a medical bill you thought insurance would pay is all too common (get more information at the end of this article).Īnd air-ambulance bills can be especially difficult. “I am not paying a dime because on principle the whole thing is just wrong.” “I have never not paid a bill in my life,” Jennie says. They hired a lawyer to challenge the bill, which has now gone to a collection agency.Īnd the debt has hurt Jennie’s credit score, making it more difficult to get a loan for needed repairs to the aging roof on the family’s house. But the unpaid balance has a left a lasting mark on the family. Today, four years after the accident, Ashlyn has only a few minor scars. Blue Cross and Blue Shield paid only $5,700, leaving the family with the balance: $18,300.
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It turns out that medical-emergency helicopters are often “out of network” and not fully covered by insurance. The Stouts’ insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, covered her hospital bills and outpatient therapy.īut two months later, the family got another shock: A notice from Med-Trans, the air-ambulance company, telling them that the transport was $24,000. But in that situation, she recalled, “I’m a mom first,” so she didn’t question the decision.Īshlyn left the hospital after four days and was back at school within two weeks. Jennie was surprised: The hospital was only about 40 miles away and the burns didn’t seem extensive to her. Her 13-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, had tripped and fallen into smothered embers left over from burning leaves in their backyard, scorching her hands, knees, and shins.Īmbulance paramedics on the scene when Jennie arrived said that Ashlyn should be sent by helicopter to a burn center in Gainesville for fast treatment. Jennie Stout, a nurse in Ocala, Fla., was finishing an afternoon shift when she got a panicked call from home.