Ambulances

Air Ambulances Are Flying More Patients Than Ever, and Leaving Massive Bills Behind

Rising prices, billing disputes, and a quirk in federal law are creating a new health-care headache.

Air Ambulances: Taking Patients for a Ride

For-profit air-ambulance companies too often pick up people who don’t need air transport—and leave families with huge bills that insurance won’t pay.

Air Ambulance Rate Debate Unlikely to Fly Away

Where air ambulances are concerned, health care regulation is at odds with aviation regulation, creating a dispute over rates.

Helicopters Save Lives for Serious Trauma Victims

Researchers still are unsure what aspect of helicopter lifts plays the biggest role in saving lives. "Is it the speed?" Adil Haider, of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of the new study, asked at a briefing about the new findings. Is it that "the crew that makes it to the helicopter is the best of the best?" Or is it that patients arriving at a medical center via helicopter receive quicker and higher-quality medical attention once they land? "We need to figure out what makes the difference," Haider said.

High-Speed Care

Nothing represents the urgency of time in emergency care better than the blazing ambulance, its lights and sirens clearing its path. Some of the supposed importance of speed in medical emergencies is actually grounded in truth: For patients with cardiac arrest, the time it takes for someone to start CPR makes a big difference in survival. But for many other conditions, time (on the order of minutes) may not make as much of a difference as we once thought.

Inside an 'Air Ambulance'

New Jersey headquarters of Atlantic ambulance corporation where their fleet. Air ambulances and we're here to get a sense of what. Medical evacuation is all about and helicopter.

Medical Helicopters - Are They Worth the Risk?

Medical transport by air remains controversial primarily because of its cost and dismal safety record! Do medical helos really make a difference?

Prince William Talks About His ‘Incredibly Tough’ Days As An Air Ambulance Pilot

The prince opened up about what he and his team responded to over the years and praised their incredible response time and skill.

Taken for a ride? Ambulances stick patients with surprise bills

Forty years ago, most ambulances were free for patients, provided by volunteers or town fire departments using taxpayer money, said Jay Fitch, president of Fitch & Associates, an emergency services consulting firm. Today, ambulances are increasingly run by private companies and venture capital firms. Ambulance providers now often charge by the mile and sometimes for each “service,” like providing oxygen.

The Future of HealthTech - Ambulance Drones

Within the health and safety space, there are a number of powerful applications for drones that show great promise...

The Revolution in EMS Care

Thanks to new technology, new life-saving techniques and new missions, ambulance crews are far from the ‘horizontal taxicabs’ they once were.

Think the E.R. Is Expensive? Look at How Much It Costs to Get There

Thirty years ago ambulance rides were generally provided free of charge, underwritten by taxpayers as a municipal service or provided by volunteers. Today, like the rest of the health care system in the United States, most ambulance services operate as businesses and contribute to America’s escalating medical bills. Often, they are a high-cost prequel to expensive emergency room visits.

When the Only Ambulance Is a Helicopter

In rural areas far from hospitals, an emergency may mean taking a flight—but these lifesaving trips can come with a crushingly high price tag.

In 2018, Should We Take Ubers or Ambulances to the Hospital?

The question of transportation is actually not that new. Here’s what the experts advise.

A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver

Musings on Life, Death and Everything In Between...