General Questions
What is the medical escort service?
Medical escorts are registered and licensed healthcare professionals who are trained and experienced in providing aviation medical care to patients on board commercial airlines. Our commercial medical escort service provides bed to bed, door to door medical repatriation logistics to patients and family members who would like an affordable alternative to more expensive air ambulance medevac flights.
How does the Medical Escort option work?
Our medical escorts on commercial flights leverage the domestic and global network of commercial airlines to safely move patients from bed to bed, whether within the United States or overseas, our domestic and global network of medical escorts such as Flight Nurses and Flight Paramedics assist the patient safely throughout their journey, while providing ongoing medical care, monitoring, medication administration, oxygen, personal care and comfort, as well as mobility assistance throughout the journey.
Medical escort missions are centrally coordinated by a Case Manager at our global communications hub.
Which airlines will you use?
We use domestic and international airlines that offer the best and most comfortable seating arrangements possible. These include all major US airlines and carriers such as Delta, United and American Airlines. We also work on a daily basis with major global airlines such as Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand, when organizing international airline medical stretcher flights.
Can a Family member or friend travel as well?
Absolutely. Unlike an expensive air ambulance where space and passengers are limited, a medical escort on a commercial flight is able to accommodate all family members, as well as their luggage. This means you will not be separated from your loved one, or your personal belongings, as can happen on an air ambulance where space is limited.
What does the Medical Escort service cost?
The cost of a medical escort mission is all inclusive, and includes the airline tickets (which is the major component), the medical escort fees, hotels and meals for the medical escort, oxygen, ground transportation, and all logistics associated with a safe journey.
What luggage or mobility equipment may be taken on the flight?
Luggage can be checked in with the airline and transferred with the patient. The medical escort will carry a medical kit with them, as carry on, including a Portable Oxygen Concentrator, which is approved by the airline in advance using a medical clearance process handled by our team.
How much notice do we need?
It generally takes 24 hours to organize a medical escort flight, and up to 48 hours to organize an international commercial airline stretcher flight. After the mission is organized, the medical escort, such as one of our Flight Nurses or Flight Paramedics, will fly to meet the patient the day before the mission takes place, which is part of our comprehensive pre-flight safety assessment to ensure that the patient is fit to fly for their journey.
Can someone travel on a commercial flight if they are non-ambulatory?
Yes. If the patient has difficulty walking, we will ensure appropriate assistance is arranged such as wheelchairs, or even two medical escorts. If the patient is completely confined to a bed, we will organize a commercial airline stretcher with one of our international airline partners.
Can someone travel on a commercial flight if they have required oxygen?
Yes. We provide supplemental oxygen up to 4 litres per minute via Portable Oxygen Concentrator which is FAA approved, and approved for use by the airline in advance via the medical clearance process. On some flights, we may organized compressed bottled oxygen with certain airlines such as Air Canada, Lufthansa, or Korean Airlines.
How much does it cost to travel with a commercial medical escort?
A commercial medical escort provides substantial and very significant cost savings when compared to an air ambulance. Often half, or a quarter of the cost of a medevac flight. The cost of the journey depends on the location and final destination of the patient, as well as current airline ticketing costs at time of booking.
Can you provide an international commercial medical escort?
Yes. US Medical Escorts is a globally active company. In fact, we have US permitted staff based in Frankfurt, Germany who provide medical escorts on commercial flights from Europe
Can a companion accompany the patient?
Companions are always welcome. You can arrange your own ticket, or we are happy to include companion flights as part of the airline ticketing process.
What is required to arrange a commercial medical escort?
Once you contact us, we will work with you to perform a detailed medical assessment to ensure that the patient can safely be transported on a commercial flight with one of our medical escorts.
Once we have completed this process with you, we will provide you with a no obligation cost estimate for our service.
Are all costs included in the quote? Is your quote all-inclusive?
The cost is all inclusive and is bed to bed, door to door. We handle all arrangements and aspects of the mission, including airline medical permissions.
A detailed quote will be provided when you contact us.
How do I pay for a commercial medical escort?
We accept all major credit cards (VISA, AMEX, MasterCard) as well as bank wire transfers.
When are you available to discuss more details about arranging a medical escort?
Yes, feel free to call us at 1-855-892-0858 or email info@usmedicalescorts.com
Our office hours are 8:AM to 8:PM Pacific standard time.
If the patient is unable to travel on commercial aircraft can you assist with air ambulance arrangements?
Yes, if it turns out that the patient cannot travel on a commercial flight, we can leverage our vast network of trusted providers to organize an air ambulance instead.
Do you accept insurance?
With prior approval, we can invoice your insurance company if approval is obtained in advance.
What type of medical equipment is on board?
Our medical escorts carry with them a standard carry on medical bag, with routine medications and emergency supplies. This allows us to attend to your personal care needs, as well as ongoing medication and oxygen administration.
What kind of medical personnel does US Medical Escorts provide?
We employ licensed healthcare professionals such as Registered Nurses, Paramedics and Doctors.
