Why Do I Have to Pay for an Advanced Air Ambulance Upfront?
When we’re working with a family to arrange long-distance medical transport, they sometimes ask us: “Why do I have to pay for my air ambulance upfront?” After all, many other types of businesses accept payment after the service is performed, so what makes an air ambulance different?
The short answer is that an air ambulance just isn't like most other services. While requiring payment upfront may occasionally present some challenges for the family, we have good reasons for doing so.
Medical transport is costly, whether it involves an advanced air ambulance, ground medical transport, or an air medical escort. Arranging a transport is an expensive, time- and labor-intensive process. If a trip is cancelled at the last minute and we haven't received payment in advance, we have to absorb those costs – and pass them on to our other customers. In order to run our business efficiently and make sure we're able to offer the services that patients need, we need to get payment upfront.
There are several ways you can pay for your MedFlight911 air ambulance:
- Cash or wire transfer (we offer a small discount if customers choose this option)
- Credit card
- Insurance (in this case, we get a letter from the insurance company guaranteeing payment)
- Combination (usually, the family pays for part of the flight and the insurance company pays the other part)
- Discharge facility (such as the hospital) covers the cost
We – and most other air ambulance providers – don't offer loans or other forms of deferred payment. In addition, if a customer does need to cancel an air ambulance trip or ground transport, they'll be responsible for any resulting expenses. If someone needs to cancel a medical escort trip, we'll work with airlines, hotels, and others to get a refund, though this isn't always possible.
What if it's not the customer but MedFlight911 who has to cancel an air ambulance trip? Fortunately, we've never had that happen. However, if we did have to call off a transport because of a problem on our end, we'd fully reimburse the customer.
We know that arranging payment for an air ambulance can be difficult, especially if you have the additional stress of caring for a sick or injured loved one. That's why we’re here to help you find a payment solution that works for everyone involved – the family, the patient, and us. If you're in need of air medical transport and have any questions about paying for services, please feel free to give us a call. We're always happy to answer your questions!
Stay tuned for next week's blog post, where we'll explain what happens when an air ambulance flight is cancelled.
To find out more about MedFlight911's advanced air ambulance services give us a call at 888-359-1911 or get a no-obligation medflight air ambulance quote here.
