The Pros and Cons of Non Emergency Medical Transport

Every day millions of patients and their families are faced with having to arrange long distance non emergency medical transportation for a loved one. The question many of them face as well is whether to go with an air ambulance or a ground ambulance in order to have their loved one moved. When you factor in who uses this service, how long the distance needs to be and the cost of each, it can get complicated. Below you will find some answers to your questions about Non Emergency Medical Transport to help you figure out which is the best for you.

What is Non-Emergency Long Distance Medical Transport?

Most people know what long distance patient transport is, but they aren’t quite sure how to go about getting it. There are two different kinds of medical transport for non-emergencies. You can have your loved one moved by ground or air ambulance. These services will see that your loved one is moved a long distance in comfort, so that they can lay down instead of having to sit up during the long trip.

Which is Better, Ground or Air Ambulances?

There is a constant debate as to which is better for non-emergency transport, ground, or air ambulances. The choice is honestly up to the person that is making the arrangements. Below you will find some of the pros and cons of using an air ambulance for transporting your loved one.

The Pros of Air Ambulances

• A patient can be transferred from one place to the next quicker than they can by ground ambulance. Sometimes, even though it is not an emergency, the patient is better off being moved quickly.

• Even in non-emergency situations, more lives are saved by using air ambulances.

The Cons of Air Ambulances

• The cost of an air ambulance may be 2-3 times higher than a ground transport.

When do People Use this Type of Service?

There are many different reasons that people use this type of long distance ambulance service. Some of those reasons are listed below.

• Patients who need to change facilities often use Non Emergency Medical Transport to get them where they need to be.

• Many people will use this service if they are moving and hurt, when they need to get back to where they lived before.

• This type of long distance patient transport is also used by people who are hurt on vacation and need the ride back to the hospital at home

• Also used when there are complications with a pregnancy when traveling

It is considered to be long distance if the trip is going to be over 200 miles.

What is the Cost of Air VS Ground?

The long distance medical transport cost is where many people have to come to a tough decision. The prices of an average transport for both ground and air are listed below.

It will cost you roughly $10,000 to $20,000 for your average trip by air ambulance.

A ground medical transport can run you around $3,500 or more per trip, dependent upon where the patient(s) are being transported to.

These are just some of the things you might want to consider when trying to choose between ground and air transport for your loved one. You should weigh the pros and cons wisely and then make the decision that is right for your family’s needs.