Helicoptor trauma transport cost

Rio, ASN, RN · Sep 15, 2009

what is the cost of helicopter transport from scene of mva to hospital 20 miles away with 1 pt. conscious, with 2 large bore lines and 02 and no meds pushed?
varies... widely... $12,000 is not unheard of in some places. other programs sell "memberships" so you get a discount.
how much more does intubation ad to cost?

priceless

if you are disputing charges then call the program director and explain your concerns. :twocents:

Jerry 75 · Sep 16, 2009

Thanks for getting back to me on this. Just curious. I haven't worked in a trauma center ED since the 90's. Living in San Diego you always see life flight helicopters flying to rescues especially with all the illegals gettting in car chases and crashing. So was just wondering what it costs

HumorHeals22 · Sep 16, 2009

I got airlifted back in 2008 after a motorcycle accident (reason for enteting nursing). And it was around $15K - $20K. Lucky for me I still had TriCare from the Military which paid for everything. Hope this helps. That's all I remember!

mitchsmom · Oct 2, 2009

Currently in my area I think they are around $20k+

Zookeeper3 · May 6, 2010

12k in NC with intubation. But priceless none the less:D

BSN/MHA/JD · May 6, 2010

mike, the cost is going to be different, depending on who you are. the price can be radically different for two people, using the same aircraft on the same day and receiving the same services. it depends on their insurance.

people with no insurance will be billed the most. by law, those on medicare and medicaid will be billed the least.

the center for medicare and medicaid services (cms) has established the bill rate they will pay to air ambulance providers. that rate varies depending on the zip code in which the patient boards the aircraft. there is one rate for fixed wing aircraft and another for helicopters. in addition, there is a payment for how many miles the patient is transported on the aircraft. the cms makes absolutely no adjustment for the type helicopter that is used. it doesn't matter if the helicopter is a bell 206, a bell 222, or a s 76. it doesn't matter if the patient is simply strapped onto a stretcher with no additional services or received two large-bore iv's, is intubated, on a cardiac monitor, o2, and receives cpr. the cost is the same. there is no consideration for the services that are provided. it doesn't matter if the medical crew consists of two nurses, an emt and a nurse, a md and an emt, just one nurse, an rn and an rt, or any other combination you want to consider. the only consideration by cms is where the patient boards the aircraft, was it an airplane or helicopter, and how many miles the patient is transported. each commercial insurance company will have its own bill payment allowance and the criteria for payment, such as particular drg and evidence of necessity. private pay, with no insurance, will have the highest bill rate and that depends on each individual air ambulance operator. individual states have no control over air ambulance operators and cannot set or influence fees. this is in accordance with the airline deregulation act and affirmed by a federal court in the middle district of nc this past november. states cannot require a certificate of need (con) or regulate air ambulance operators if it tends to influence the "aviation" aspect of the operation. this influence is very broadly interpreted and pretty much excludes the states from what is considered exclusively reserved to the faa. the cms however has established reimbursement rates. again, by law, cms gets the lowest rate and cms dictates what that rate is. commercial insurance companies negotiate various rates, as long as it is more than the rate for cms. individuals can't negotiate and they will pay whatever the carrier asks. many of these people simply never pay.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2011

flights here are about 20k