Today’s speaker was Amber McComb, territory sales manager for AirMedCare Network, where she has worked for about a year. In addition to her role at AirMedCare, she is an active member of Washoe County Search and Rescue and the owner of Rambbers Roost, a small laser sign business. Amber spoke about AirMedCare and the services it provides to its members.
Amber said there are three major air ambulance services in the area: Care Flight, AirMedCare Network, and Battle Born. She explained that, unlike Care Flight and Battle Born, AirMedCare is a global network. If you are a member and you travel out of the area you are still covered, whether or not you have insurance. In the United States alone, there are more than 320 bases in 39 states with two in Nevada. These bases include helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The helicopter service used in this region is REACH. If you go to Arizona, it will be Guardian Flight. If you go somewhere else —Texas, for example — it may be another service. Regardless of where you are, your membership provides coverage, and you will never be transported to anything less than a Level I or Level II trauma center.
Amber discussed several optional member programs that for additional membership fees, may be added to the basic air ambulance membership. These include the nurse advocate service, the Fly-You-Home Program, Teladoc, and transportation of mortal remains.
The nurse advocate service recently started in Washoe County. It’s a 1-800 number, where instead of calling 911, members can speak to a nurse who can refer them to an emergency room or urgent care facility for non-life-threatening situations. In addition to providing convenience to members, the service can relieve the burden on 911 emergency services by allowing them to dispatch resources when they are truly needed.
With the Fly-You-Home program, if you are 150 miles or more from home and you have an injury or health issue that requires hospitalization, once you have stabilized, you’ll be transferred at no cost to a hospital near your home. There are both domestic and international programs.
With Teladoc, you can make an appointment, typically within 24 hours of your request. The appointment is usually conducted by video, allowing a medical professional to talk with you, diagnose your condition, and even send prescriptions to your pharmacy.
Transporting mortal remains across state lines involves a lot of permitting. Each state crossed has its own requirements. With AirMedCare’s mortal remains program, the deceased is transported by aircraft and taken to a final resting place with no out-of-pocket expense.
Household memberships for the basic air ambulance service start at $79 per year for anybody that is 60 years of age or older and covers the entire household. An add-on, such as the Fly-You-Home program, starts at about $159 and also covers the entire household.
There are also non-profit accounts and business accounts that give employees the benefits of membership at a reduced cost.
AirMedCare's revenue is 100% from membership fees.
