The value of non-emergency medical transport

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Ambulances are more than just emergency vehicles. These days, they’re often used by patients that require transport for non-emergency cases. Many of these patients often don’t have their own means of transportation or find it difficult to travel to healthcare facilities due to disability or old age. 

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Many studies have also shown that the lack of transportation is a barrier to care. Many low-income individuals are unable to regularly go to hospitals and clinics for checkups and preventative care due to the fact that they do not own a car or they cannot afford the extra costs of transportation. With access to non-emergency medical transport, patients who need the service can expect better health outcomes that come with regularity in their trips to medical institutions for primary and preventative care.

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Apart from this, studies have also shown that medical transport is vital to the treatment of individuals with behavioral health issues. Treatments for behavior health problems help patients to become productive members of society and transportation is integral to their treatment.

Medical transport, however, may not always be easy to obtain. People are often unsure if their insurance or if Medicare covers the costs of medical transportation services. In most cases, insurance and Medicare may cover the costs of medical transportation if it meets a medical necessity. Patients are required to have a document from their doctor that proves the necessity of the service with regards to their condition.

Balboa Ambulance Service is the only private medical transportation provider in San Diego County that is capable of offering a fully comprehensive transportation package. For more information about medical transport, follow this Facebook page.

Checking for the costs of an air ambulance service

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Transport to a medical facility by air ambulance is sometimes necessary as it could save a person’s life. In most cases, however, people are advised to think of other means before choosing this option, especially for non-life threatening situations, as it comes with a large sum that could burden them for a lifetime.

There are no requirements regarding the fees involved and short flights can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000. There isn’t much that a person can do during an emergency and air transport is a necessity to save the patient’s life. In other situations, however, one can do a few things in order to determine if the situation is dire enough to rationalize the costs involved.

First, experts recommend asking medical transport companies for a quotation. While doing so, it is also important to determine if the asking price is all-inclusive or if there are other costs involved such as for the ground transportation to and from the hospitals and the aircraft.

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If air transport is deemed necessary, it would be wise to fully examine the services offered by the medical transport company. Does the company offer transportation for patients who are unable to travel via commercial airline? Do they offer in-flight services for medical requirements during
transport? Do they have a service that can connect patients with their families during the entire trip?

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Meanwhile, checking one’s health insurance policy is also important. Some may cover part of the air transport cost when the medical necessity is established and finding if this applies to the patient’s situation may make the air transport option more viable.

Balboa Ambulance Service offers a full range of medical transportation services to the residents of San Diego County. For more information about its air ambulance service, visit the company’s official website.