Why does emergency air medical services matter to me?

Each year, hundreds of thousands of critically ill patients rely on emergency air medical services for lifesaving care. Because of this service, patients are able to reach the care and services they need for better outcomes.

In rural parts of the country, emergency air medical transport and treatment by a critical care team is often the only access to life saving care in cases of emergency.  

What is an air ambulance?

An Air Ambulance is a flying critical care unit equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, supplies, and clinical staff to ensure lifesaving care during an emergency. It is a crucial part of quality emergency medicine whether care and transport are needed at the scene of an accident or at a hospital. These highly equipped airplanes and helicopters come with uniquely skilled crews and are called on as tools when a critically ill or injured patient needs to be taken to sometime distant facilities for specialized diagnostic or treatment capabilites. Our family and neighbors rely on emergency air medical services for access to trauma, cardiac, burn, stroke, tertiary care and neonatal within the critical “golden hour” of the patient’s event. This hour is defined the first hour after the occurrence of a traumatic injury, considered the most critical for successful emergency treatment.

What does Apollo MedFlight do for me?

Primarily, we transport you in our state-of-the-art aircraft with our critical care team, but our patient advocacy team continues working with you after the transport to find all potential sources of payment to decrease your responsibility, including your health insurance plan. We will communicate with you throughout the process to make sure you are informed. Once the insurance billing process is finalized, we will contact you to discuss the multiple ways to resolve any outstanding balance.

Why am I receiving a bill from Apollo MedFlight if I was transported by an air ambulance with a different name?

Apollo MedFlight provides lifesaving emergency care across the United States, operating  with partners having other locally known program names.

Why am I getting separate bills from Apollo MedFlight and the hospital?

Rather than have their own air medical aircraft, hospitals sometimes partner with a highly specialized provider such as Apollo MedFlight, to provide air ambulance services. Because Apollo MedFlight is not part of the hospital and operates as a separate entity, it is not possible to combine the bills.

Emergency air ambulance transport and treatment are among the many crucial medical services where health insurers are seeking to limit, deny, or delay payments.

The main purpose of health insurance is to protect patients like you in emergency situations like the one you faced.  But increasingly, insurance companies paying less and less of their members’ medical costs.  This means patients are left exposed to balances the health insurance company should be paying. It is our commitment and intent to work side-by-side with insurers, healthcare providers, and patients to create a system that works for everyone.

When it comes to obtaining payment for their service, Apollo MedFlight works with insurance companies to ensure adequate coverage for their members. When adequate coverage is not provided, we are required by law to pursue uncollected balances to help cover the cost. In these situations, we work very closely with patients to minimize their out-of-pocket expenses and your patient advocate will be there every step of the way.

If patients do not have insurance, please know that there may be other available sources of financial assistance available. Apollo MedFlight has a long-standing financial aid assistance program and is committed to working with patients based on their individual financial circumstances.

We are in network with many insurance plans, and will work together with them to leave you owing no more than your deductibles and co-insurance. If we are not in network with your plan, you may be left with a balance, but we will work with you to make sure your insurance pays according to your policy.

You will receive an invoice if we cannot locate your insurance information to bill them, if your insurance underpays, or you do not have insurance. A patient advocate will be reaching out to you to help. If you got an invoice in the mail, please call the number on it, and your patient advocate will educate you as to why you received it, and what can be done about it. We are experts in our field and are committed to assisting you. Our service does not end at the hospital we delivered you to.

Apollo Medflight is contracted with several insurance companies; however, this does not guarantee that your plan will process your claim correctly per your policy.

Here are some of the reasons why your plan may not cover the cost of your bill:

Medical Necessity– Your plan has decided that your life-saving flight was not medically necessary and you could have been transported in a ground ambulance.

Policy Limitations – Your plan may have benefit limitations regarding Air Ambulance services.

Underpayments – Your plan paid but it did not pay correctly per your policy and has left the remaining balance to you.

Network– If Apollo Medflight is not contracted with your plan, they will process your claim out of network leaving you a higher patient responsibility.

Whatever the reason your plan has not covered the cost of your bill, Apollo Medflight will work with you to ensure your plan pays the maximum your benefits will allow before seeking funds from you.

At Apollo MedFlight, we understand that excellent patient care does not end with the transport. The financial costs related to emergency care are often overwhelming, and we continue to support our patients throughout every step of the billing process.

We have Financial Assistance options and special discounts available to help alleviate your worries. If you receive a bill that is beyond your ability, please allow us to help you. Contact your Advocate today.

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