Air Med

Those who consider hiring an air ambulance are often concerned about cost. It is true that chartering such a service is not inexpensive if it is paid for out-of-pocket. However, there also is no set air ambulance cost thanks to the many variables involving things like the patient's condition, the distance of the flight, how fast the company has to respond, and more. There are also a few service levels to choose from, and in some cases, money can be saved by picking one that isn't as intensive as a full-service air ambulance.

The highest costs often arise when the air med service involves evacuating an injured person to a distant hospital. These are the types of situations that sometimes make the news. When you hear of a hiker who was airlifted after falling down a cliff or someone who was taken to a burn center after a car wreck, you have heard of emergency medevac service. In these cases, a highly specialized advanced life support crew, along with an equally-specialized medical aircraft, works to save the person's life as well as provide transportation.

In most cases, however, air ambulance cost is mitigated because the service is hired to take a person from one hospital to another, usually more specialized, facility. Then, the patient is likely to be more stable. The flight can also be scheduled in advance.

Sometimes, a true air ambulance isn't even needed. Instead, a commercial flight will work as long as a qualified medical escort accompanies the patient. This is the lowest-cost service, and it is only available to medically-stable people. However, it is still essential if the best doctor is far enough away to require flying in order to get to the office in a reasonable amount of time.