Medical repatriation companies return someone to their home country when they experience injuries, illness or trauma while abroad. Knowing how to find medical repatriation companies is critical to getting back home safely before time spent dealing with hospitals, doctors and insurance companies takes a toll on a person’s health and finances.
Medical repatriation involves making sometimes complex transportation arrangements, such as on a commercial airline with a trained RN flight nurse, and ensuring the safe transfer of the patient back to their home country. The first and foremost goal is to facilitate the return of the patient to their home country for appropriate medical treatment.
When trying to find medical repatriation companies, the key is to act quickly. They can provide the support you need to clear hurdles and get you back home to the care of your own doctors. The following medical tips can help you find medical repatriation companies and understand how they can help.
What Kind of Company Does Medical Repatriation?
When trying to find medical repatriation companies, you want to find a non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) service. NEMT companies specialize in transporting patients on commercial airlines with trained flight nurses who manage their care during the flight. A high quality NEMT company also will book flights and other travel arrangements on the patient’s behalf with airlines and airports.
The right NEMT company will work with an insurance provider to verify if a patient qualifies for medical repatriation, handle communications with foreign medical staff and officials and properly complete all paperwork. They also consult with clinical staff at the hospital to ensure a patient is stable enough to fly.
Flying Angels has years of experience in providing medical repatriation, as well as many other medical transport services.
The Challenges of Medical Repatriation
People hire a reputable NEMT company because of the challenges in leaving a foreign country to return home when you have required medical attention. When searching for medical repatriation companies, look for companies who understand how to manage the following challenges.
Insurance Coverage
American tourists on vacation don’t typically plan for an emergency and do not know if they have coverage for medical repatriation. The first step an NEMT company will take is to find out what is covered under a person’s insurance. That can get complicated. For example, some insurance does not cover air medical, and some may cover transfer to a higher level of care, but not back to their nation of origin. Also, even if insurance does cover medical repatriation, it may only cover return to the nearest U.S. airport, not the patient’s home city.
If insurance does not cover air medical, then some types of travel insurance and some high-level credit cards may offer coverage. Experienced NEMT companies have untangled these insurance knots many times before.
Logistical Challenges
Coordinating transportation back home on commercial flights and ensuring patients have all the required services they need at airports and on their flights can become a complex task, especially if the patient is in a remote location. Ensuring the availability of appropriate transportation, arranging any necessary accommodations with foreign health officials and airlines, and coordinating with healthcare providers in both the current location and the home country offer logistical challenges. NEMT companies offer the skills and experience needed to overcome those challenges.
Language Barriers
Simply communicating can prove difficult in non-English speaking countries. This can create delays in getting a patient transferred. In the worst cases, communication gaps can result in patients not getting the level of treatment they need. Poor communication also can lead to people not understanding local regulations that may allow hospitals to charge them far more than they realize. An experienced medical travel company will have contacts in the area and work with translators to ensure everyone is on the same page for treatment and transfer.
Choosing a Receiving Facility
Patients returning to the U.S. may have difficulty in getting transport to the receiving facility they want. NEMT companies will have a list of medical facilities where they have contacts and work to get patients transferred to a facility that offers the type of care they need. They also will have a list of alternative medical flight destinations.
Healthcare System Differences
The healthcare system in the home country may differ significantly from the one where the patient is currently located. Finding suitable medical facilities can pose challenges. Also, in some cases it’s necessary to obtain necessary medical documentation and clearances for repatriation. This may involve coordinating with treating physicians, obtaining medical records and ensuring that the patient meets the requirements for travel.
The Patient’s Medical Condition
Medical transport companies should provide a trained flight nurse to travel with patients on their trip. Flight nurses have experience and training in performing medical services at high altitudes and should have expert knowledge of aviation physiology. They also manage medications or medical equipment needed during the flight. These registered nurses consult with medical personnel where the patient is getting treatment to understand their current condition. They also notify the receiving facility about the patient, so they are accepted for treatment.
When it comes to finding medical repatriation companies, time is of the essence. People who need medical repatriation want to move as fast as possible to get back home under the care of doctors they know. Hiring a professional medical repatriation company can get patients through the process faster and safer.
Many stroke survivors worry about if and when they can fly after a stroke. Medical research shows a person can fly after a stroke, but they should consider the type of stroke they had, how long it’s been since the stroke and whether they want medical travel assistance during the flight.
If you plan to travel after having a stroke, it’s comforting to know that research has found having a history of a stroke does not put a person in danger during an airline flight. Having a past stroke does not mean a person should not fly.
But if a stroke has been more recent or a person simply has concerns about flying, they should consider several factors before booking their trip.
Strokes vary in type and severity. Stroke victims should consider their own unique circumstances. Experts do not have hard and fast rules that apply to everyone who has had a stroke. But the following factors can help you decide about flying.
Type of Stroke
The advice on when to fly could depend on the stroke. A full stroke involves the sudden loss of blood flow to the brain. However, many people experience a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is known as a “mini-stroke” that resolves without permanent brain damage.
A TIA is like a stroke and considered a warning sign of stroke risk. Also, some medical disorders that lead to a TIA could pose a “very small risk” on flights, according to research compiled by Very Well Health. Those conditions include patent foramen ovale, paradoxical embolism or hypercoagulability. It’s important to know if you have those conditions.
Experts may vary on when they recommend you can fly. The Stroke Association recommends that it is “probably best to avoid flying for the first two weeks. This is the time when your problems are likely to be most severe and other conditions related to your stroke may come up.”
In the most severe stroke cases, patients may want to wait as long as three months. However, with a TIA, many people are safe to fly in 10 days.
Before booking a flight, people should consult with their doctor.
Some people who have had a stroke may prefer to hire medical professionals to fly with them. Doing so provides them a high degree of security in making the flight and ensures they get proper medical care if needed. Such help is found with non-emergency transport (NEMT) companies like Flying Angels.
Flying Angels provides a number of services that can support stroke victims when they fly. A Flight Coordinator books your flight, sets up all the arrangements with both airports and airlines, gets you through security and provides a flight nurse to help you throughout your journey. The company hires only nurses with a great deal of experience working in emergency rooms and who have training in providing medical care at high altitudes.
Stroke survivors may face challenges, but they still can live a full life. As with any serious condition, those who have had a stroke need to practice patience and planning. Travel by flight is certainly doable if they have the right amount of support. Consulting with a doctor and a medical transport service can give people the answers they seek about flying after a stroke. They also can provide the comfort, care and support they need to make the journey.
Hospital discharge transportation involves the methods used to transport a patient from the hospital to their home, a rehabilitation center, nursing home or other care facility. How hospitals and patients handle hospital discharge transportation is a key element to the success of overall medical treatment.
It’s an issue that all healthcare providers address. Hospital discharge transportation is seen as part of a comprehensive approach to patient care. That applies whether the patient needs medical transportation home or to another facility.
In some cases, transportation may involve having to fly commercial after surgery. This happens when patients are injured while on business travel or vacation. It also is necessary for those who must fly to get care from a specialist surgeon.
Medical professionals put a great deal of focus on discharge planning process because transportation from a care facility is a time when people are vulnerable. Every detail of hospital discharge transportation focuses on patient safety, including medical transportation home.
Also, effective discharge lowers the chance of a patient returning to the hospital because patients and their families are prepared for the transition. That’s why addressing the patient’s traveling requirements is critical.
In situations where flying is involved, hiring a non-emergency medical transport service is often the right move. They provide service that includes making all travel arrangements, including ground transportation, navigating the airport and flight reservations.
They also provide a flight nurse who is certified in aviation physiology and can handle any medical situations that may arise while in the air.
When working on discharge planning, medical staff find the best way to provide a smooth transition from one facility to another, or to the patient’s home. Only doctors can authorize discharge from a hospital. However, social workers, case managers or nurses often oversee discharge planning.
According to the National Center on Caregiving (NCC), discharge planning revolves around the following issues.
Evaluation. Qualified personnel evaluate the patient’s condition.
Discussion. A patient or her representative discuss discharge with qualified personnel
Planning. Plan revolves around either going home or to another institution.
Determining. Qualified personnel determine whether the patient’s caregiver needs training or other support
Referrals. The medical facility refers the patient to the appropriate support service, such as a home health agency
Follow up. Discharge planning also involves making arrangements for follow-up appointments or tests for the patient.
Many medical facilities continue to work in this critical area, so it’s important for patients to know their options and the challenges involved with discharge. For example, research reported by the NCC indicates about 40% of patients over the age of 65 had medication errors upon release from the hospital. Also, about 18% of Medicare patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within 30 days. Those numbers underscore the importance of hospital discharge transportation. For patients who know they have an upcoming hospital stay, all options – including non-emergency medical transportation – should be investigated.
Patients use medical transportation in both emergency and non-emergency situations. Medical transportation options include non-emergency services such as wheelchairs, medical couriers, ambulatory services, travel arrangements and flight nurses. Emergency services include basic life support ambulances, advanced life support ambulances and air ambulances.
The following provides an overview of some of the common medical transportation options used by patients.
Benefits of Medical
Transportation
Every medical transportation option has benefits because they all effectively and efficiently get patients to their destination. En route, experienced medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, provide medical services as needed.
In non-emergency medical
transportation (NEMT), the ability to schedule everything ahead of time and
travel with a flight nurse provides enormous benefits to patients. Rather than
take on the challenges of travel alone, they have the peace of mind of having
trained medical experts with them.
Types of Medical
Transportation
The following offers a list of medical transportation options for patients. All choices fit into two major categories: emergency transportation and NEMT.
Non-Emergency
Medical Transportation
NEMT is the best medical transportation option for those with a medical condition or injury that does not pose an immediate threat. Typically, older patients, those with disabilities or those who have difficulty with mobility from an injury use NEMT. Professional NEMT service companies such as Flying Angels can make all travel arrangements and assign a flight nurse to travel with patients. The company offers the service for domestic and international flights.
The specific types of
transportation used in NEMT include the following.
Wheelchair
A very common form of transportation in non-emergency situations. Patients use wheelchairs if they have difficulty walking for long distances through the airport and from ground transportation into the airport. Special, narrow wheelchairs are used on planes. Flight nurses ensure that plane personnel safety store personal wheelchairs during flight.
This is typically a car
or van that takes patients to and from the airport. It’s one of the commonly
used forms of NEMT transport. It’s designed for those who can walk with little
to no assistance.
Flight Nurses
Flight nurses are a key
element in NEMT. They travel with patients to their destination. They have
years of experience and a high level of expertise in providing any medical
services needed during a flight. They oversee a patient’s medications and
monitor their health. Upon arrival, they arrange any ground transportation
needed to get a patient to their destination.
Medical couriers safely transport blood, organs and other human biological specimens between hospitals or research facilities. All medical couriers must meet government regulations, including provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Stretcher
Used only in
circumstances where a patient has an injury that prevents them from standing or
walking but is not an emergency situation. This option is limited to
international flights on a few selected airlines.
Emergency Medical
Transportation Options
Just as the name implies, emergency medical transportation options are used when patients are in a medical crisis and need transportation to a hospital as quickly as possible. The emphasis in all these areas is finding a balance between safety and speed.
Ambulances are typically in one of two
categories: basic life support and advanced life support.
Basic Life Support
Ambulances
A basic life support ambulance offers medical
service from emergency medical technicians during transportation to a hospital,
rehabilitation clinic or testing facility. Medical supplies and equipment on a
basic life support ambulance include defibrillators, aspirin, EpiPens,
pulse oximetry, intranasal naloxone administration, splints, bandages, oxygen
tanks and masks, and spinal immobilization equipment.
Advanced Life
Support Ambulances
Advanced life support ambulances have equipment
that monitors vital signs, as well as advanced drug therapy, cardiac
monitoring, oxygen and IV therapy. All services are administered by a highly
skilled paramedic or nurse.
Air Ambulances
Air ambulances include helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Typically, a helicopter transports those in immediate need of clinical treatment, including victims of car accidents, violent crime or natural disasters when time is the absolute imperative. Fixed wing air ambulance is utilized over greater distances with acutely ill patients who patient who cannot tolerate sitting. The situation dictates the type of transportation used. Decisions on emergency transportation are made by medical personnel, while patients decide on non-emergency transport. For NEMT, a service like Flying Angels offers all the advantages and benefits you need and choices for how you want your transportation planned.
Aviation physiology focuses on how flying impacts the physical and mental health of the pilots, flight crew and passengers. It’s an area of health science in which flight nurses develop expertise because their “work environment” is thousands of feet in the air.
Aviation physiology provides a framework for dealing with how air travel impacts human beings, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA Facts provided in a guidebook acknowledges that “every human is physiologically different and can react differently in any given situation.”
However, medical professionals have developed strategies for dealing with anxiety, stress and other health issues that people may experience, including those involved with commercial flight medical transportation and assisted flight travel.
The Basics of
Aviation Physiology
Humans can adapt to a
remarkable number of different environments. For exploring the ocean depths to
traveling into space, humans can adjust to changes in external temperature,
barometric pressure variations, motion in space and changes in relation to
gravity.
However, these changes can have an impact. When
it comes to flight, the FAA points out three major areas where environmental
changes have the biggest impact:
Marked changes in barometric pressure
Considerable variation in temperature
Movement at high speed in three dimensions
Of course, human beings cannot handle all these
changes on their own. But through “foresight, ingenuity and effort,” as the FAA
describes it, humans have developed tools to help them deal with these changes,
such as pressurized flight cabins and temperature control.
Flight nurses that
travel with patients are experts in the following areas, which the FAA lists as
being some of the major areas of aviation physiological impact.
Pressure
As you move above sea
level and ascend into the sky, the air becomes less dense and there is
atmospheric pressure. Gas may expand as molecules travel farther apart – which
is why you might experience “trapped gas” issues in the ear canal or sinuses.
Artificial pressurization deals with most of these issues, but during ascent
people may feel the drop in pressure more acutely.
Respiratory and
Circulation
The human body has
amazingly simple, efficient respiratory and circulatory systems. The drop in
pressure, however, can impact them, potentially causing dizziness, headaches,
shortness of brief or fatigue. Again, this is something that cabin
pressurization helps to solve. However, a flight nurse traveling with a patient
is aware of these potential issues and prepared to deal with them if needed.
Hypoxia
A very dangerous
condition in which the oxygen supply to the lungs or other important organs is
inhibited. This is why a plane offers oxygen masks in case of sudden drops in
pressure or changes in altitude. Nurses also will carry oxygen for certain
patients and administer it, as needed, if signs of hypoxia occur.
Hyperventilation
This happens with people on the ground, but also is something to watch for while in flight. It simply means breathing at a fast, shallow rate that could inhibit the flow of oxygen through the body. This is sometimes brought on by anxiety or fear, which causes breathing to be controlled by emotions rather than by chemicals in the body. It can lead to a drop in carbon dioxide levels, which is dangerous if it continues for too long. Symptoms include dizziness, a tingling sensation, blurry vision and twitching muscles. These are just some of the issues that those with expertise in aviation physiology know how to handle during commercial flight medical transportation. It’s also the reason why an increasing number of people are turning to flight nurses to travel with them for non-emergency medical transport – allowing them to relax, knowing they have an expert in aviation physiology sitting beside them.
