The cost of long distance medical transport depends on a variety of factors, including the patients mental and physical health, equipment and personal needs, the dates of travel and the departure and arrival locations. In all scenarios, flying on a commercial airline with a flight nurse is far less expensive than using an air ambulance.
The companies that provide long distance medical transport services on commercial flights are known as non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) companies. An NEMT company makes all flight arrangements for its clients and provides an experienced flight nurse to accompany patients on their journey.
Flying Angels has years of experience in the NEMT field. The company has a staff of experienced flight coordinators and flight nurses who are certified to provide high-altitude healthcare.
Examples of Long Distance Medical Cost: Updated October 2023
While many variables factor into long distance medical transport cost, Flying Angels provides examples of cost ranges based on the typical patient and a variety of distances. It’s important to remember these represent estimates only. The cost will vary depending on other circumstances, including when you travel, the equipment you need and your current health.
Examples of medical transport cost ranges include the following.
To and From the Mid-Atlantic region to Florida ($8,000 to $9,500)
To and From the West Coast to East Coast ($8,000 to $10,000)
Hawaii ($9,000 to $11,000)
South America ($12,000 to $17,000)
Asia ($25,000 to $35,000)
For those looking for medical flights into the United States from other locations around the world, estimated costs include $10,000 to $15,000 to fly from Europe and $20,000 to $28,000 to fly from Asia.
NEMT Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to long distance medical transport, potential clients often ask questions about what they get in the service. All the following are based on what we do at Flying Angels.
What Is NEMT?
Non-emergency medical transport involves having an experienced flight nurse travel on a commercial flight with senior patients or those with medical conditions who cannot travel on their own. NEMT is not an air ambulance, which is far more costly. But NEMT services can take patients anywhere in the world via commercial flights.
Who Uses NEMT Services?
Anyone who cannot safely travel alone can use NEMT services. This includes seniors, disabled travelers, post-operative patients and those with serious injuries. A flight nurse handles every aspect of the patient’s needs, from oxygen to ventilators, both in the airports and during the fight.
What Kind of Planes Do You Use?
Flying Angels makes all the travel arrangements for its clients, using available commercial flights. That’s a far more cost-effective way to approach long distance medical transport, as opposed to using an air ambulance.
How Quickly Can You Depart?
While not an emergency service, it’s typically possible to get patients booked on a flight within 24 to 48 hours. The earlier you can get in touch, the better for getting the best flights well in advance. NEMT and long distance medical transport offer patients the chance to travel in comfort while knowing their healthcare is in good hands and the cost is much more reasonable than other methods.
Concierge nursing services provide patients personalized care without them having to visit a doctor or hospital. These services include consultation on medical issues, home health services after surgery and post-op travelcare.
While most associate concierge nursing services with in home care, non-emergency medical transport companies like Flying Angels provide medical travel with a registered nurse which makes travel safer and easier. With bedside to bedside care, clients and their families have peace of mind while they travel with a flight nurse throughout their journey.
For those who have undergone a medical procedure and need to travel, concierge nursing services provide the support they need to make a trip safely. RN Flight Coordinators help make travel arrangements that address a number of individual concerns and limitations.
Some of the duties that are part of a day in the life of a flight nurse include the following.
Packing and managing a medical kit that includes everything they need, including specialty reclining wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, suction and nebulizers
Making sure patients meet all pre-planned points along the trip. Nurses also meet with patients the day before departure to go over the plan and make sure everything is in order
Flight nurses with Flying Angels are trained in flight physiology, and have extensive experience in air travel and the complexities involved getting through the check-in process, security, and customs and immigration for international flights
Flight nurses ensure patients disembark and reach their final destinations safely
Other concierge nursing services include a wide variety of situations. Most fall within one of the following categories.
Consultations
Concierge nurses will speak with patients directly about any health issues they are having and determine whether they need further medical care. This can help people avoid the cost and stress of unneeded trips to the doctor or hospital. An example of this type of service is Aging Life Care (ACLA), which offers a client-centered approach to those facing health challenges, including seniors. They provide guidance to families and individuals in making decisions that lead to a higher quality of life and the best care possible for loved ones.
Wellness Support
In some cases, concierge nurses will come to your home and provide consultation and care. They also can educate clients on how to properly use whatever medical equipment they need, all to help patients maintain their independence and stay at home.
Patient Advocacy
Concierge nursing also can include patient advocacy, acting as a “middle person” between the patient and clinicians at hospitals and other facilities. In this role, a concierge nurse focuses on ensuring that medical professionals meet a patient’s needs and answer their questions.
Respite Care
In these situations, nurses act as caregivers, giving patients time to recover and take a break. This service is especially useful for those recovering from surgery. These services also are offered for those who are bed-bound or wheelchair-bound. Nurses can help them with a range of motion exercises, among other issues.
Concierge nursing services make a significant difference for those who need help during post-op travel, as well as with wellness support, advocacy and respite care. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and concierge nurses can provide the help you need.
Most people travelling with cancer do so during breaks in their treatments. However, if an emergency or other situation requires you to fly during chemotherapy, you can safely do so by following a doctor’s advice, taking extra medication with you, knowing where to get care at every point along the trip and arranging for a medical professional to travel with you.
All these tips can help you fly during chemotherapy, even if it is not the optimum situation for you. In some cases, it’s best to approach these types of trips as you would critical care travel and ensure that you have an experienced nurse on hand throughout your trip.
The following tips can help you fly during chemotherapy without regretting the experience.
Consult With Your Doctor
The first step is to talk with your doctor and get her OK to fly. Your physician also will have suggestions and ideas that can help make the trip go more smoothly. Go into the meeting with your doctor prepared with all the details of your trip, including information about your planned methods of transportation and the access to medical care at your destination.
Whatever medications you are taking during chemotherapy, make sure you have a plentiful supply before you get on the plane. Keep the medications with you rather than putting them in checked baggage. Also, keep a copy of your prescription with you, which will make it easier to refill if your medication gets lost.
Travel With A Flight Nurse
Flight nurses have experience in providing medical care in high-altitude environments. Those who work with a non-emergency medical flight company can help you book your trip as well as provide medical care from the moment you leave your house until you reach your destination. People use flight nurses for everything from holiday travel to post-surgery travel or just for the safety of having a medical professional on hand.
Don’t start your trip without knowing where you can find medical care along every point of your trip. That includes the nearest hospitals and clinics near where you plan to stay. Make sure to check with your insurance company and ensure you are covered if you need to get medical services during your trip – they may require that you see a specific physician or go to a specific hospital.
People who travel with cancer need to rest during their trip. It’s important to plan ahead and give yourself time for long breaks so you can recharge your batteries. That will make the time when you are on the move and with others that much more enjoyable. By keeping these tips in mind, you can fly during chemotherapy. But always remember to keep your care and health top of mind. When travelling with cancer, your well-being must come first.
For many adults and college students, the chance for international travel culminates years of planning and dreams. However, injuries and accidents can make their plans unravel, leaving travelers in need of an international transport nurse to advocate for them and help them return home safely.
An international transport nurse plays an important role in medical repatriation, a term that describes the need for medical services through the process of returning to the United States from a foreign country. The key is to return home before spending a long time under hospital care in a foreign country, something that can take a heavy toll on both your health and finances.
Hiring a non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) company that specializes in international medical travel and who provides an experienced nurse for your journey can help you get out of that situation. Here are some frequently asked questions that can help you decide if an international travel nurse is who you need.
Why Do People Hire An International Transport Nurse?
Imagine yourself or your child in a situation where they are under medical care in a foreign country. In that situation, you face many challenges. They include language barriers, quality of care issues, exuberant healthcare costs and the distance from home, friends and family. Not all travel insurance will cover medical costs. An NEMT company and international transport nurse can help resolve the situation and get you home.
The short answer is that they see you home safely. The nurse comes to where you are, works with local healthcare workers to get you released from the hospital, then provides any healthcare services you need by traveling with you on the flight back home.
In addition to the medical services, an international transport nurse also works with local healthcare workers as well as airport security and airline personnel. They can handle all the issues that come up, from navigating the airport and getting through security to managing your medications and providing care in flight.
What Qualifications Does An International Transport Nurse Have?
The kind of nurse you get depends on who you hire. At Flying Angels, for example, nurses have years of experience in emergency medical care and certification to provide medical services at high altitudes. They are extremely capable should a crisis arise.
A NEMT provides expertise in international medical travel. In the case of Flying Angels, the company has worked with thousands of patients through the years and has contacts in both the medical and transportation industries around the world. They arrange your flights, contact the airport ahead of time to make your travel go smoother and set up any ground transportation or accommodations you may need.
It’s important to read your own health insurance plan before leaving on a trip. Most policies will not cover the cost of getting home from a foreign country. There are medical travel insurance plans available, but be sure to compare costs and services and find the one that works best for you. Getting injured or requiring medical care while on a trip does not have to become a nightmare situation. By planning ahead and having contact information for a NEMT company, you can travel with the assurance that if something does go wrong, you have someone you can trust to help you get back home.
Even if they once loved to take a trip, travel can prove difficult for dementia patients. But traveling with an experienced flight nurse can make the trip much safer and more doable for those with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or multi-infarct dementia.
Having an experienced medical professional along for the trip is important because those who must fly with memory loss, or their caretakers, may believe it’s next-to-impossible to make a trip. The senior travel assistance offered by flight nurses makes a significant difference and makes flying with dementia patients a much more realistic option.
All dementia patients can benefit from having a flight nurse on their trip. It also provides much-needed support to caregivers, who face many challenges providing care for dementia patients.
Dementia impacts people in different ways. The most common form involves age-related cognitive decline. It can start with simply forgetting names or short-term memory loss, but eventually can impact a person’s ability to handle day-to-day activities.
It also makes air travel for seniors with dementia difficult. While many dementia patients do well in the familiar surroundings of home, they experience trouble with changes in location or the pace of the day. They may become overcome with fatigue when around large groups of people and loud noises. These situations can also lead to outbursts of confusion, anxiety and fear.
Someone with experience working with dementia patients and the ability to oversee travel arrangements can make a difference.
Flight nurses are experienced medical professionals who can make the entire trip with dementia patients. In the case of Flying Angels, all flight nurses have experience working in emergency room settings and are certified for providing medical care at high altitudes. That includes managing any medications and medical equipment.
Flight nurses also help caregivers watch for signs of issues with dementia patients, including becoming verbally abusive or confused, not recognizing their own caregiver, or becoming frightened or agitated. They also can help them deal with these situations, keeping the caregiver from having to go it alone.
Flight nurses typically work with non-emergency medical transport companies like Flying Angels that provide full transportation service. That includes booking flights, working with airports and security to smooth the trip through the airport for dementia patients, and handling any ground transport needs.
For those planning the trip, it’s best to keep it to one destination rather than trying to travel to multiple places, according to caregiver.com. This will take some of the anxiety out of making the trip.
Also, the trip should be as short as possible and involve direct flights rather than having to change planes, as that procedure could prove troubling to dementia patients.
Another good idea is to take a trip to someplace familiar. If the dementia patient travels to a place they loved before the onset of the disease, there’s a better chance they will recognize their surroundings and feel more relaxed. For those who need to fly with memory loss, the burden on their caregivers is enormous. But by working with a flight nurse, they can make the trip much less burdensome. They also will have a skilled medical professional by their side to handle any issues that may arise, providing them with peace of mind.
A healthcare situation that requires a trip to the hospital can be an anxiety-inducing, stressful time for families. It’s only natural that everyone focuses on the medical treatment and doesn’t give much thought to hospital discharge planning.
But how people plan for what happens when they leave the hospital after discharge plays an important role in their health going forward. Over the years, experts have learned that better hospital discharge planning leads to better health outcomes.
Everyone plays a role in hospital discharge planning. This includes patients, family, caregivers and healthcare providers. The following looks at some of the key points when you leave the hospital after discharge. All are important factors to consider for hospital discharge planning.
What Happens When You Get Discharged From a Hospital?
Only a doctor can authorize a patient to get released from the hospital. In most hospitals, a hospital worker meets with patients and family to deliver discharge instructions. This could be a social worker, nurse, case manager or other healthcare professional. They will go over information they need to make the transition home. They show patients paperwork that lists all the procedures and treatments received. Patients need to verify the accuracy of the information, because it’s what they base a hospital bill on.
What Is Hospital Discharge Planning?
Hospital discharge planning involves a process for making a plan in advance on all the issues involved in transitioning from the hospital to home. For the hospital, discharge involves a team approach. That should also be the case with patients.
Hospital discharge planning typically breaks down into the following three major areas.
Asking Questions
When meeting with the hospital discharge planner, it’s important to have questions ready. Some of the typical questions patients need answered include:
What’s my medical condition status?
When do I need to see the doctor again?
What are the details on the medication I am taking once I get home?
How do I operate any equipment I need (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.)?
How active can I be after discharge, or how long should I wait to be active after discharge?
Transportation Home
Patients either transition to their home or to another care facility. In either case, safe transportation is needed. Some prefer turning to professional non-emergency medical transport such as Flying Angels to handle these trips. They provide experienced nurses to travel with patients and ensure they receive quality medical care as they transition out of the hospital.
Another key issue for patients is planning for care once they get back home. Some of the common needs include cleaning the house, cooking, shopping, laundry, personal care if needed (such as help with bathing and dressing), emotional care and healthcare (such as managing medications). Hospital representatives should have information about government-funded services and non-profit organizations that can help with such services. Family and friends can also help track down different services.
If a patient thinks they will need to hire services, don’t wait until the last minute and make a hasty decision. Prices and level of service vary greatly in this area. It’s important to take some time and look around for the best choice to fit your circumstances. Planning on these key issues can give patients a level of comfort they need as they prepare to transition back home. Patients do well to take the initiative and plan ahead. That ensures they make a safe and healthy transition when they leave the hospital after discharge.
