FAQ

General Questions

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I found Jet Rescue Air Ambulance on the Internet, or in the yellow Pages how do I know that I can trust this company?

• Selecting the right air ambulance service can be one of the most difficult challenges you may ever face in your life. With so many different companies to choose from, offering basically the same, most of the time price is the key element to take a decision. Founded in 1994 we have conducted thousands of transports worldwide. We have spent a great amount of time and effort to educate the public demonstrating what we do at Jet Rescue Air Ambulance and exactly how we do it. We educate our clients through videos, references, and testimonials, from regular clients such as assistance and insurance companies and the general public. In addition Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is an accredited member of  EURAMI ( European Aeromedical Institute.) We know you have a lot of options to choose from. We’re confident that if you give us the chance to serve you that you will be completely satisfied.

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What questions can I ask to determine if an Air Ambulance company is qualified?

• This is a very good question because all providers do not offer the same level of quality. The cheapest company is often not the best choice. A “yes” is an important response to the following:

1. Does the company have a Medical Director?

2. Is the company’s aircraft licensed by the FAA?

3. Is the company licensed in their state as an air ambulance?

4. Does the company have liability and malpractice insurance?

5. Is the company an actual provider and not a broker?

6. Does the company staff each flight at least with a nurse and a paramedic?

7. Is the aircraft pressurized?

8. Are the medical crew members trained in altitude physiology?

9. Is the Medical Director involved with each flight?

10. Does the company provide “bedside to bedside” service?

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Why is it better to deal with an Air Ambulance provider and not a broker?

A broker normally does not own aircraft, equipment, or employ medical teams or pilots. They advertise as an air ambulance service and when they receive an inquiry they call multiple providers and then “broker” the flight to the cheapest provider. They then add a profit for themselves included in your quote. In a sense, becoming the middle man. The problem is that the cheapest provider may not offer the highest level of quality nor have the capabilities required by the patient. The advantage of dealing direct with an Air Ambulance provider is that these companies can directly control the quality of their service since they employ the pilots and medical crews, own the aircraft and equipment, and directly oversee operations.

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What is an air ambulance?

• An air ambulance is a specially configured aircraft that has been medically equipped with Critical Care and Advanced Life Support Equipment to treat and transport a wide variety of patients from adults to neonates

 

Why Types of patients require air ambulance?

• Patients that need to be transported long distances and require life support and/or are unable to tolerate sitting upright in a commercial airliner. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance typically transports patients injured while on vacation needing to be flown home, patients with serious medical conditions needing transportation to a distant medical center that has capabilities unavailable locally, chronically ill patients who want to relocate closer to family members, and patients who are traveling outside the US and become ill or injured requiring emergency evacuation back to the United States. 
  
  In summary: 

  *Extensive or urgent medical attention is needed and time is critical.

  *Critical illness or injury where the patient cannot be transported by other means.

  *Injury or illness while traveling in a foreign country.

  *Illness or injury requiring treatment by a specialist not available locally.

 

How do I schedule a medical transport?

• Jet Rescue Air Ambulance will take care of everything! The only information you need to provide us is:

• Receiving hospital and physician contact information, if you have it.

• Time and date desired to perform the medical transport.

• The method of Payment information.

• If you are not sure which Hospital is best for your patients need, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance can assist you in a selection of a receiving facility. If your travel dates are flexible, we will work with you on cost saving options. Jet Rescue air ambulance will coordinate all the necessary logistics including ground transportation, selection of the appropriate medical team, Immigration and Customs Clearance, file insurance claims, and anything else that may arise. Our goal is a seamless medical transport for all involved.

 

What other services do you offer?

• Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is dedicated to providing air ambulance service; medical escorts on commercial airlines, including stretcher transports for international flights. Our flight coordinators are committed to serving our clients assisting them in making the transport easier for patients and families. We’ll make arrangements for luggage, pets, vehicles, travel companions, customs (if international), hotels, insurance, etc. Our ultimate goal is to ease the patient and family in this special time of need.

 

Does Jet Rescue Air Ambulance provide international air ambulance service?

• Yes. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance has extensive experience in international medical transports around the world. Our long range Learjet’s fly every year thousands of miles internationally. We can also provide you our medical services on some commercial airlines that allow for stretchers or the Lufthansa Patient Transport Compartment (PTC). A very cost-effective alternative is a Commercial medical escort. It could cost less than half the price of a private air ambulance. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance has safely and efficiently transported patients from Mexico, Europe, Central and South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

 

Is Jet Rescue licensed and insured?

• Yes, we are fully licensed and insured. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance in the USA is an authorized Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) utilizing the services of Century Aviation Inc. Century Aviation operate under their own AOC (Aircraft Operating Certificate) or FAA F.A.R. Part 135. This Air carrier has an exclusive arrangement with Jet Rescue Air Ambulance but have operational control of the aircraft. Our vendors retain WYVERN and ARG/US Platinum ratings in order to ensure the safest aviation operations possible. All flight crew and medical staff maintain all required licenses and certifications. We also obtained Florida Department of Health Services Air Ambulance License .Our Mexican Operations are licensed under our own AOC . These licenses give us the authority to operate fixed wing air ambulance, providing basic life support, advanced life support, critical care transport, convalescent and interfacility transports worldwide

 

Financial

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How much does air ambulance transport cost?

• Patient transport via air ambulance is not inexpensive. But it is often the safest, fastest way to transport a patient in critical condition or in need of emergency medical care. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance is committed to finding the most cost-effective transportation without compromising the quality of care. Call 1-877-704-8396 and we’ll quickly provide a free no- obligation written quote to you.

 

What Costs are included in your quote?

• A written quote will be provided. No surprises, no hidden costs! Included in an air ambulance quote are ground ambulance, medical personnel, flight crew, medical equipment, medications, basic catering, and the flight itself.

 

Is there a less expensive alternative to air ambulance transportation?

• In cases where the patient is more stable and time is less critical, we can provide the following alternative methods of transport if available: Commercial flight with a medical escort. The patient is accompanied by either a Physician, Nurse or Paramedic (and of course all necessary medical equipment) on a commercial airline.

 

Commercial airline stretcher service.

Only in some international flights. We arrange with the airline to provide a stretcher, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance will provide the necessary medical personnel and equipment. Call 1-877-704-8396 for an in-depth discussion of the patient’s medical transport needs.

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If I must pay out of pocket, how much might the service cost?

• Many factors determine the final cost of an air ambulance transport. The main factor is the distance to be flown, the type of aircraft utilized, and the medical needs of the patient in flight. A Domestic interstate transport in a twin-engine aircraft could cost as little as $3,000 to $7,000. On the other hand, the cost of a cross-country air ambulance of a very critically ill patient in a long-range jet would increase commensurately. Fortunately, as a direct provider of Air Ambulance Services, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance can minimize these costs! Through efficient scheduling and special one-way pricing arrangements many clients can see final costs on the lower end of the ranges.

 

Medical

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Who will provide the care?

• Many air ambulance companies employ nurses and paramedics that just graduated to keep their costs down. At, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance a trained medical professional handles all phone calls 24/7/365. Our standard medical team in the US typically consists of one registered flight nurse and one critical care flight paramedic who has a minimum of 10 years of combined experience. In Mexico, our team has always a  Critical Care Doctor on Board and a paramedic.Together they can handle virtually any incident that might occur during a flight. If you want to rest assured that your loved one is in capable and experienced hands, choose us.

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How many medical personnel are with the patient on each transfer?

• A standard team usually consists of two medical crew members, one of whom is either a physician or a critical care nurse, the other attendant could be either a Paramedic, respiratory therapist, or perfusionist depending on the patient’s specific needs.

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What kind of training/experience do they have?

• All of our medical staff is board certified; have extensive training in aviation medicine and flight physiology 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 participates in 100 hours of didactic and clinical continuing education annually. We also perform a quality review following each trip.

 

What is “bedside to bedside” service and why is important?

• Bedside to bedside service means that the medical team is with the patient at all times. From the sending facility, on the flight, and until arrival at the receiving facility. Although many companies do not provide this service, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance considers that bedside-to-bedside service is very important. It allows our crews to maintain continuity in care, even while on the ground ambulance and also ensures that a detailed medical report is given to the receiving medical staff. We provide this service on every flight.

 

What Medical equipment and medications are on board the aircraft?

• Standard medical equipment includes: FAA Certified Lifeport (self-contained) stretcher, oxygen,suction and medical air, volumetric ventilator, cardiac monitor/defibrillator, multiparameter Invasive and non-invasive monitoring,resuscitation equipment, advanced airway management equipment, 3 channel infusion pump, IV, ACLS drug complement, and any other specialty equipment necessary for each individual patient. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance also carries the widest array of antibiotics for bacterial and parasitic infections in the air ambulance industry.

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Insurance

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Does insurance cover air ambulance transport?

• The simplest answer, "Sometimes": There are a number of factors involved in determining whether or not an insurance carrier will pay for ambulance transportation. Each patient situation is unique and provides many different situations that are not clearly definable within a given formula. In order to best determine whether or not you or your patient's insurance will cover the costs of air medical transportation, contact one of our Flight Coordinators. Although most insurance plans, HMO's, PPO’s and IPO's cover air ambulance services, It is important to check your plan to see that there is an air ambulance benefit and what the criteria is. Most plans require that medical necessity is met. This means that a physician must certify that the transportation by air ambulance is indicated, and that transportation by other means may endanger the patient. Some plans require that the transport is a life-threatening emergency or that the destination is the closest appropriate facility. In addition, we check if there is a maximum benefit and what the benefit level is (for example an 80% benefit level means the family must pay 20% of the cost).

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What will you do to get my insurance to pay for the flight?

• Most air ambulance companies will at least submit a claim to your insurance company though some will not. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance does much more! Our flight coordination department in conjunction with our billing department will review your insurance policy before the flight and will work with the sending physician and other medical personnel to increase the likelihood of insurance coverage. We submit the claim to insurance and aggressively fight to get the coverage you deserve. Instead of dealing on your own with the frustration of the insurance bureaucracy, we handle it at no additional cost so you can focus on your loved one

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What is “medical necessity”?

• In an effort to provide a standard definition of "Medical Necessity" and to establish a standard set of practices performed by Private Insurance Carriers, the American Medical Association put together the "Model Managed Care Contract". In this Model, the American Medical Association defines "Medical Necessity" as the following:

  *Health care or services that a prudent physician would provide to a patient for the purposes of preventing, diagnosing, or treating an illness, injury, disease, or its symptoms in a manner that is:

  (a) in accordance with generally accepted standards of medical practice;

  *(b) clinically appropriate in terms of frequency, extent, site, and duration; and

  *(c) not primarily for the economic benefit of the health plans and purchasers or for

  *the convenience of the patient, treating physician, or other health care provider.

 

If my treating physician gives Jet Rescue Air Ambulance a "Letter of Medical Necessity", my insurance carrier will cover the flight, right?

• It does not mean that your insurance carrier will cover the flight. Often times in your contract between the insurance carrier, yourself, and often times your employer, "sole discretion (or decision-making abilities)" is left to the Medical Director at the insurance company. What this means is that your "treating physician" may tell you that you need some form of healthcare procedure, service, or diagnostic exam and the physician at the insurance company may tell you that the procedure, service or diagnostic exam is not medically necessary. When this Medical Director tells you that the service or procedure is not medically necessary, you are left with few options. Nevertheless, it is best if you are seeking approval from an insurance company for air ambulance services, to contact us first.

 

Does your company help patients file insurance paperwork?

• Jet Rescue Air Ambulance goes well beyond "just helping file your insurance paperwork". While most air ambulance providers will tell you "we help file your insurance paperwork", Jet Rescue Air Ambulance realizes that this can be just the beginning. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance will work with you from the beginning all the way through the end in order to assist you with obtaining the benefits you may have within your insurance plan. When you first call Jet Rescue Air Ambulance you will speak with a "Flight Coordinator" with expertise in setting all the logistics for your air ambulance transport. He will obtain all the necessary documents that are required to expedite the claims process. These documents are absolutely necessary in order to put forth the absolute best possible case with your insurance company.

 

Aircraft

 

How do you determine which aircraft is best for my 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 critical care equipment and expert medical teams.

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How many pilots are on board?

• All aircraft have two pilots on board with the highest FAA rating ATP (Airline Transport Pilot).

 

Are meals served on the plane?

• Yes, we offer catered meals for family members and for patients if indicated. We will accommodate special diets and special requests.

 

How many companions 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 (Falcon, for example), up to five family members can fly with the patient. If the patient is traveling in a light jet (i.e., Learjet 35), normally up to 3 family members could travel with the patient.There is however cases where our Medical Director may not approve a family member for a variety of reasons that may impede patient care.

 

How much luggage can patients/passengers bring?

• We can only accommodate 2 carry-ons of luggage due to the significant reduction in 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.

 

What assurances are there that the aircraft is safe?

All of the aircraft are own by us and are operated by our  Part 135 Operator Century Aviation, who is bound by FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations outlining pilot training, duty time, aircraft operation, and maintenance.The aircraft operated in Mexico are operated by Jet Rescue under our own AOC. Century Aviation and Med Jets  utilize pilot crews that have been trained annually at Flight Safety or an equivalent factory approved, simulator based program and conduct risk assessments for each mission. Our Aircraft are mantained, designed and equipped for all weather operation and have outstanding safety records.