When a person is having a life threatening emergency, medical evacuation is often needed. Many times we witness the air ambulances landing at serious car accidents and other traumatic instances. If you ever encounter the need for one of these emergency services, there are some things you need to know.

As you are getting ready for flight, you may want someone to be along with you. Depending on the level of your medical condition up to two individuals can be flown with you. You need to remain calm and understanding if the medical personnel determine it isn’t safe for you.

Determining the type of medical situation for the air ambulance company is essential as well. There are three basic conditions that may warrant the use of medical evacuation.

Basic Life Support: With this, the patient will normally only have a minor medical emergency, but they will likely need oxygen and IV access. Usually they remain stable, but that could change quickly thus warranting the need for an air ambulance.

Advanced Life Support: While still in a stable condition there is a higher requirement for IV support as well as the need for infusions. Because of the extra attention required and need to get to a facility quicker, the patient would require an air ambulance.

Critical Care: This patient is in dire need of care. They are likely unstable and need constant work done on them, IV’s are constantly being handled and there may be a need for serious ventilation. There may even be a need for some invasive procedures.

In all three scenarios the air ambulance company will help to determine if you need to be airlifted. In some occurrences, a standard ambulance would be called in place of this evacuation tool. If you are a healthcare provider, they will also be able to help you with determining if the patient does need to be airlifted.

This brings up another important point – when you decide to airlift a patient never use a broker. Instead, by going directly through the company you save money for the responsible party for the trip. It might be the hospital, insurance company or the patient. When you deal with a broker, their bottom line is important and what they charge normally only covers the basic needs of the patient.

Keep in mind that the entire set of personnel on the flight is dedicated to helping you. Never attack or get angry when they are trying to help you. Instead, remain calm. They understand the pain you might be in and are dedicated to providing you with excellent care.

There is nothing to worry about when flying in the air ambulance either. The pilots are required to receive additional training in medical terminology, how to provide the patient care at the highest level, and flight physiology as well. This allows communication to remain intact while performing the basics you might need and with twenty thousand hours of flight time under their belt before they become certified, you never have to worry about a novice pilot.

During the flight you will be asked to remain as still as possible. This helps to prevent any turbulence that might be caused by unnecessary movement, and can prove to be critical. Be sure to follow the directions of the flight personnel exactly as you are asked to.

Keep in mind that an air ambulance is a serious form of medical transportation and not every situation you encounter will demand the use of it. Take time to review the information provided, and contact a company you can trust to make sure that your specific situation should be handled by an air ambulance for medical evacuation.

An air ambulance is an aircraft that can be used to reach a medical emergency situation where other more traditional land-bound ambulances are not able to. An air ambulance is also sometimes used when immediate transport to a hospital or medical facility is required. Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. There are instances when the terrain is too unmanageable or too impractical to travel via roads. An air ambulance allows medical care to reach the people in need quickly and efficiently.

Of course, not all air ambulances are created equal. There are several things to look for when choosing an air ambulance service. For instance, consider the safety of the aircraft. All aircraft are required by the FAA to undergo minimum inspections. Look for an air ambulance service that goes the extra mile, with a reputation for keeping their aircrafts in perfect running condition.

Also, find out if the air ambulance is equipped to handle medical emergencies while in the air. Medical emergencies are unpredictable, so find an air ambulance service that is equipped to handle all possible situations. Opt for air ambulances that are equipped like ICUs at regular hospitals. This greatly reduces the risk of being ill-prepared for an emergency in the air, and should give you some peace of mind.

While the equipment on hand is important to the safety and care of a patient in transport, the flight staff and medical crew are just as vital. Choose an air ambulance service that gives its medical crew special training as in-flight medical specialists. Not all nurses are made to be flight paramedics. Having specialized training on flight physiology will make a world of difference to the abilities of the medical crew to care for a patient while in flight.

Another factor to consider is how fast an air ambulance service can be provided. Medical emergencies are just that: emergencies. The medical assistance required is immediate. It doesn’t matter how fast an air ambulance is if takes the entire day just to deploy it. Look for an air ambulance that makes a priority of immediate deployment. You should be looking for a service that deploys within two hours of receiving authorization.

Of course, price is always something to think about when choosing an air ambulance service. While you cannot put a price on ensuring the medical needs of the patient are met, an effort should still be made to find an air ambulance that gives you the best value for your money. Ask for a quotation and demand that the price you are quoted is the price you will be paying when all is said and done.

When using the right service, an air ambulance can prove to be invaluable in providing immediate medical care to a patient in need. Keep the factors mentioned above in mind when choosing an air ambulance service so that you may get the most out of it.

Need a lift? Whether it is for a loved one or a client, we understand that it can be hard to choose a good air ambulance service. It does not have to be, though. AirCARE1 is ready to walk you through what it takes for us to be a great provider and your top choice in air evac.

When choosing an air evac service, the type of aircraft is an important consideration. You will want to find one that combines a long range to minimize or eliminate fuel stops, and an extra wide entry door to ease patient loading. AirCARE1 uses a Lear 35A type jet because it is ideal for these purposes.

Having the proper medical equipment on board seems like it should be standard, but you might be surprised. Sometimes, air ambulance teams use their jets for charter purposes as well, and they do not have the space inside to install more than the bare minimum. If a life-saving piece of equipment is not used very often, it might get cut out of their setup! You will never have this problem with AirCARE1. We do not charter our jets, and it is vital to us that our patients can get the same standard of treatment in the air that they would get in a ground-level hospital.

As with the medical equipment, having at least two pilots seems like it would be a good idea for all air evac providers, but some of them only employ one pilot per flight. This can be disastrous if anything happens to that one pilot! AirCARE1 jets, like commercial airline flights, come equipped with a captain and a first officer with high-level pilot certification. In addition, each pilot has to have at least 2,000 hours of flying experience, and we ensure that they are well rested before embarking on a flight.

The medical staff on an air ambulance is just as important as the flight crew. Be sure that you are paying for quality! Not all providers train their medical crew to be able to practice mid-air medicine. At AirCARE1, however, every member of our medical team gets specialized training in how to handle flight-related medical conditions and in-flight emergencies.

Good providers are concerned with the patient’s overall well being in addition to their vital signs, and AirCARE1 prides itself on holistic care. We want our patients to be as comfortable as possible during their flights. We do our best to create relaxing environments with the following services given where appropriate: therapeutic music in noise-canceling headsets, therapeutic hand massage, in-flight movies, and reading materials.

Your air evac service should have a friendly policy toward traveling companions. People do not get as stressed out on ambulance flights when someone that they know is flying with them. Of course, they might if they thought that it would fatten the bill! Some air ambulances will charge more if someone accompanies the patient in the aircraft. When you choose AirCARE1, however, up to two traveling companions can fly with the patient at no extra charge.

Furred and feathered friends are important, too. Besides passengers, AirCARE1 also allows for small pets in cages depending on the available space. As with passengers, having pets along can help with stress levels. It is also understandable that a patient may not want to leave a loved animal behind.

A quality air evac provider will offer bedside-to-bedside service. Bedside-to-bedside service means that the flight crew will not only land with the patient, but that they will also go with that patient to the medical facility. The crew makes sure that the patient arrives safely and that the medical staff at the facility have all of the information that they need to treat the patient. Providers whose crews leave their patients after landing risk interrupting the continuity of patient care. AirCARE1 transitions its patients smoothly from aircraft to facility with caring bedside-to-bedside service.

The United States Army’s MEDEVAC unit in Iraq has become an important part of medical service for US troops in Iraq. A recent article describes the life of the air ambulance company serving northern Iraq, which consists of several Black Hawk helicopter pilots, crew chiefs and flight medics. According to the article, this air ambulance company runs a tight ship:

“You’re trying to get some sleep, you wake up, run as fast as you can and try to put your gear on,” Egbert said. “Usually the crew chief will go out to get the aircraft ready while the medic and pilot in charge stay to get info from command post. Our goal is to be in the air in (less than) 10 minutes.”

The air ambulance unit has a lot to figure out in that short period of time.  Among the considerations are where they’re going, the best way to get there and what kind of equipment the medics should bring, based on the injury that was reported to them.

However, war injuries aren’t the only people that this MEDEVAC unit services — this unit once saved a contractor that swallowed his dentures!

Be sure to read the article for lots of interesting information about the air ambulance company in Iraq.

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems will conduct an accreditation site visit of:

The purpose of the site visit will be to evaluate the program’s compliance with nationally established medical transport standards. The site visit results will be used to determine whether, and the conditions under which accreditation should be awarded to the program.

CAMTS accreditation standards deal with issues of patient care and safety of the transport environment. Anyone believing that he or she has pertinent or valid information about such matters may request a public information interview with the CAMTS site surveyors at the time of the site visit. Information presented at the interview will be carefully evaluated for relevance to the accreditation process. Requests for public information interviews must be made in writing and sent to CAMTS no later than 5 business days before the site survey begins. The request should also indicate the nature of the information to be provided during the interview. Such request should be addressed to:

Office of the Executive Director
Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems
PO Box 1305
Anderson, SC 29622

The Commission will acknowledge such written requests in writing or by telephone and will inform the program of the request for an interview. The program will, in turn, notify the interviewee of the date, time and place of the meeting.

This notice is posted in accordance with the CAMTS requirements and may not be removed until the site visit is completed.

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–American CareSource Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANCI), the nation’s leading ancillary health care system, today announced the expansion of its transportation services category with the signing of AirCARE1 International, a worldwide ambulance service specializing in the airborne intensive care transportation.

“Transportation is one of our 31 specialty service categories at Ancillary Care Services,†said President and CEO David S. Boone. “Our new contract with AirCARE1 International allows us to broaden the spectrum of services in the transportation category by including not only ground transportation, but in instances of significant distance, air transportation. The highly qualified staff of AirCARE1 International is a valuable addition to the Ancillary Care Services network.â€

“Jake Jacobsen and I formed AirCARE1 International to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care during their air ambulance transport experience,†said President and Co-Founder Denise Waye, BSN, RN. “By researching the needs of the industry, we have been able to provide quality of patient care that is unmatched in the industry. We are excited to be a part of a network that places a premium on quality transportation service providers like AirCARE1 International.â€

AirCARE1 International’s goal is simply to provide quality patient care by using the best aircraft, the best pilots, the best equipment and the very best medical team to provide that care. AirCARE1 International utilizes Lear 35A aircraft to transport medically compromised patients in a pleasant, medically safe environment. The Learjet uses a loading ramp designed specifically for safely loading patients into the aircraft to prevent dangerous tipping and tilting. The door to the Learjet is wider than standard commercial aircraft. “Unlike many others,†says Vice President and Co-Founder Jake Jacobsen, “AirCARE1 International’s Learjets fly above commercial altitudes for smoother flights and have greater range for faster flights with fewer stops minimizing patient transport time.â€

Onboard, AirCARE1 International uses a customized patient care system that includes an exclusive double thick mattress, an integrated knee bracket for patient positioning, and an arch monitoring system that attaches directly to the stretcher so patients are continuously monitored every step of the way while the AirCARE1 medical team transports the patient bedside to bedside. The AirCARE1 team includes pilots, critical care nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists as well as physicians.

Additionally, AirCARE1 International provides noise-cancelling headsets with therapeutic music as well as touch therapy during flight. These comfort measures provide an additional level of care to our patients while providing peace of mind for them as well as their family members.

About American CareSource Holdings, Inc.

American CareSource Holdings, the first national, publicly traded ancillary care network services company, offers a comprehensive national network of over 4,000 ancillary service providers at more than 30,000 sites through its subsidiary, Ancillary Care Services. Ancillary Care Services provides ancillary health care services through its network that offers cost effective alternatives to physician and hospital-based services. This market is estimated at $574 billion, and has grown to 30% of total national health expenditures. These providers offer services in over 31 categories, including laboratories, dialysis centers, free-standing diagnostic imaging centers, non-hospital surgery centers, as well as durable medical equipment such as orthotics and prosthetics, and others.

The Company’s ancillary network and management provides a complete outsourced solution for a wide variety of health care payors and plan sponsors including self-insured employers, indemnity insurers, PPOs, HMOs, third party administrators and both federal and local governments. For additional information, please visit www.anci-care.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this release, including with respect to future engagements by clients, revenue growth, earnings, and guidance are forward-looking statements. It is possible that the assumptions made by American CareSource Holdings, Inc. for purposes of such statements may prove to be inaccurate or may not materialize. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. Such statements may involve further risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those relating to demand for our services, pricing, market acceptance, our ability to integrate with our clients, our ability to attract and maintain providers, our ability to manage growth, the effect of economic, political and regulatory conditions, the effect of competition, risks in product development, the ability to complete transactions, and other risks identified in this release, and the Securities and Exchange Commission filings of American CareSource Holdings, Inc.

December 2005

Quality means different things to different people. Quality is an empty platitude unless you have a quantifiable means to measure it. So, how do you measure quality, especially as it relates to an air ambulance service?

AirCARE1 International™ is focused on quality in two specific areas – quality of patient care and quality of customer service. This is the first article in a series describing how we define and measure quality.

Introducing Our LifePort Patient Care System

We know almost all patients being transported in an air ambulance are forced to lie on used and uncomfortable stretchers not conducive for long flights. Imagine lying on a thin mattress pad, with your knees in a straight position for hours on end. It’s not so bad when you are in a ground-based ambulance being transferred between facilities, which is usually over in a few minutes.

For patients that spend many hours on a long distance jet flight, their lower back becomes sore. They’re unable to get into a comfortable position, and end up squirming around to relieve the discomfort. Now, picture laying on a 4-inch thick mattress with the ability to set and change the elevation of a knee support system for comfort. This additional feature, included with every flight we make, is a major relief to the discomfort felt by every patient. We know a comfortable patient is under less physical and emotional stress, and that is a huge benefit for the patient (and their family members joining them on the flight). Our commitment to this level of quality is so strong we contracted with LifePort, the industry leader in patient care systems, to customize our AirCARE1™ stretchers to be above and beyond normal industry standards – so our patients could experience the best total comfort during their flight.

AirCARE1 International™ is currently the only air ambulance company in the nation who provides patients with a four-inch mattress as opposed to the current industry standard of two inches. We are also the only air ambulance company in the industry who has installed a knee bracket in our stretcher system. This bracket prevents the patient from sliding on the stretcher during take off and landings and provides comfortable patient positioning during flight. These two features alone provides a comfort level patients really can feel and measure.

Our Commitment of Excellence is measurable to patients, since we provide a higher level of care and service that they experience first hand during their flight.

Future articles will continue to explain how AirCARE1 International™ provides the best Quality of Care. If you would like to have the articles e-mailed directly to you, please sign up on our web site www.AirCareOne.com.

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The Loading Ramp

Quality means different things to different people. Quality is an empty platitude unless you have a quantifiable means to measure it. So, how do you measure quality, especially as it relates to an air ambulance service?

AirCARE1 International™ is focused on quality in two specific areas—quality of patient care and quality of customer service. This is the second article in a series describing how we define and measure quality.

Introducing AirCARE1’s Loading Ramp

We know one of the most critical times during the transport of a patient is during the loading and unloading process. To load a patient into an aircraft is not an easy process. In the air ambulance industry, patients are typically loaded manually by a group of people who bear the weight of the patient as they hand feed the stretcher through the aircraft door. This is made even more difficult if the door is a 24-inch executive door. Imagine being the patient on the stretcher who has no control over this process. Imagine again, if one of the persons involved in the process, fails to do their job, allowing the stretcher to wobble or tip. How terrifying would this be to the patient’s mental and physical well being?

AirCARE1™ International has observed this unsafe practice in the industry and has seen the terrified looks in the patients and family member’s eyes. Our commitment to the highest level of care is so strong, we contacted LifePort®, the industry leader in patient care systems, to acquire a specially designed engineered loading ramp which eliminates frightening and dangerous tipping and tilting. AirCARE1™ International patients are placed on the loading ramp and safely slide through our 36-inch cargo door, into the aircraft where the stretcher securely locks onto the patient care system.

This loading ramp provides the patient with the highest degree of safety as well as a sense of well being and peace of mind during this critical time.

Our Commitment to Excellence is measurable to patients, since we provide a higher level of care and service they experience first hand during their flight.

Future articles will continue to explain how AirCARE1™ International provides the best Quality of Care. If you would like to have the articles e-mailed directly to you, please sign up on the right-hand side of this page under Get New Articles.

AirCARE1 International is a long range jet air ambulance provider founded by a critical care nurse and a pilot with many years of industry experience. After seeing what the industry had to offer, they knew they could provide a better service by doing what is right by the patient at all times.

The AirCARE1 Story

We appraised the industry and learned from their mistakes. We focused AirCARE1 on what we judged to be the four most important concerns of air ambulance clientele:

1. Quality of patient care
2. Safety
3. Reliability
4. Good Value

In this article we will focus on quality of patient care and safety.

The goal was simple, provide quality of patient care by obtaining the best aircraft, the best pilots, the best equipment and the very best medical team to provide that care.

Although the goal was simple, seeking out the quality we wanted took over two years of hard work to ensure our patients would receive the kind of quality we envisioned in order to provide them with peace of mind. During this time there were many pundits in the industry telling us quality really didn’t matter-but to us- it did.

Quality of Patient Care

Our quality of patient care started by obtaining an executive quality Learjet 35A so our medically compromised patients would be transported in a pleasant medical environment.

Our brand new patient care system was purchased from LifePort – the premier manufacturer of Patient care systems – and customized for us to include an exclusive double thick mattress, an integrated knee bracket for patient positioning, as well as an arch monitor system that attached directly to the stretcher so our patients would be continuously monitored every step of the way while our medical team transported bedside to bedside.

Our medical teams of critical care nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists as well as physicians were handpicked through personal referrals followed by a stringent interview process.

Safety

Safety is not only a state of mind, it’s a culture. Safety was brought into AirCARE1 International from the very foundation of its existence.

Our loading ramp is an example of our commitment to safety as it provides safe transfer of our patients both into and out of the aircraft. Using a loading ramp is something not often used in the industry, but we know it dramatically increases safety as it prevents any dangerous tipping, tilting, or wobbling of the patient. The loading ramp is used 100% of the time during patient transfer.

What is important to understand is that:

“It’s not just what we do — but how we do it.”

So, the next time you think of transporting your patient by air ambulance,think of:

AirCARE1 International

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