Types of Medical Transportation

Types of Medical Transportation

Each day, people need assistance. Medical transportation services work to get you to the places you need to go in order to receive treatment from doctors and nurses. These trained professionals run the gambit between life and death. Which form of transit is the best for your specific needs?

Ambulance

The most common form of medical transportation is the ambulance. Everyone sees them around on a regular basis. Not only are they common within the United States, but they are also a familiar sight in countries all around the world. This mode takes patients from the scene to the hospital or between hospitals.

Air MedEvac

If you need to be at a hospital in a hurry due to the nature of your injuries, or if you need to be transferred to a center hundreds of miles away, you will take a helicopter. Much like an ambulance, this special transport helps to save lives. The team of paramedics on board work tirelessly to ensure that their patients are comfortable and receive as much care as possible. It is their job to ensure necessary treatment is provided at the other end of the journey.

Commercial Flights

In some instances, a commercial airline becomes a medical transportation service. This happens when the service grants free tickets to those who must travel hundreds or thousands of miles in order to obtain medical care. In order to get a free ticket, you or the caregiver must apply for the grant; not everyone is eligible for this service. The grants are only given to hospitals, which are operated as non-profits. The patient and his or her caregiver must show that there is no way they could afford the transportation without the assistance. The hospitals are granted tickets, and they are the ones that determine who is eligible for the travel help. The grant system is welcomed by many hospitals and other charitable organizations that believe it is the best way to offer medical help to those who otherwise would not be able to receive it.

Non-emergency Transport

Most medical transportation is used as a means to get patients to a hospital in the quickest way possible. However, not everyone needs urgent care. Those who need to get to appointments at doctor's offices or hospitals may still need assistance getting there. Thankfully, there are services in place to assist patients with conditions that restrict them from getting there themselves. These groups can be non-profit or commercial. They work like a taxi service, picking the patient up at their door and dropping them off at their appointment. This type of service frees up emergency services like ambulances for those who really need them.

Posted in: health and fitness