After making the decision for air transport, there are a few things that are important to make the process efficient. The following are recommendations that will be helpful to us:

The EMTALA requirements are very strict for emergency transport. As the primary provider the responsibility lies with you to have an accepting physician for the patient under your care. We will not question what you have determined appropriate for your patient. We understand that you have done everything in your power to make arrangements for your patients' care at the nearest appropriate facility. We will not deviate from that course unless there is a change in the patients condition that warrants diversion. You will be informed of our diversion if it is required. Please fill out and sign the EMTALA Transfer Record. Please provide a copy of the transfer record for us and the receiving facility. If able, it is very helpful to have 2 copies of the patients medical record, one for the flight crew and one for the receiving facility. Our ground time is occasionally delayed for radiology copies. If it is possible to expedite this process our efficiency is greatly improved.

There is some very important information that should be provided when you call. We will often prompt these questions as well:

1. Location And Destination: (if not working from an established facility, GPS coordinates are very helpful)

2. Age and Gender:

3. Patient Weight:

4. Brief Patient Description (HPI), Mechanism Of Injury, And Reason For Transport:

5. General Condition: (intubated or not and medications being infused)

If you are a medical professional or not, all the same patient information listed above is important. For scene calls please include this additional information:

1. GPS coordinates if available. If not available a thoughtful description of the area with landmarks and your location relative to such.

2. Ground contact, cell phone/satellite phone numbers, or radios to aid in location. The name or identifier of the contact person.

3. Unless you are in harms way it is better to stay where you are and wait for us. It takes longer and becomes more difficult to find a moving target.

4. Landing zone: Try to locate an open area for landing. The larger the better. What might seem big on the ground may not from the air. Also alert us to any obstacles and hazards.

5. Small Clinics with limited resources are often considered scene calls for us. If you are the provider in one of these clinics EMTALA does not require you to have an accepting physician. Do not wait to dispatch our services. It is helpful to have an accepting physician but not at the expense of time. Find out if your clinic is considered a scene call.

Our transport configuration in the helicopter does not allow for ride alongs. Family should understand that only the patient will be transported. There are strict regulations in flight operations for individuals in safety restraints. Fixed wing operations may or may not allow for a ride along but would have to be discussed directly with the flight crew on a case by case basis.

Feel free to contact us for follow-up. A covered entity may disclose Protected Health Information to another covered entity for health care operations activities of the entity that receives the information, if each entity either has or had a relationship with the patient (Air Medical Physician Association Handbook, 2001). Contact us for any other questions you may have.

Thank you for using our services. We are confident that you will be pleased with our expertise and professionalism. We take great pride in our work and care deeply for the individuals that need our help. We hope that you will call on us again.