On-Call Medical Staff
To ensure the highest quality medical care for the patients transported by First Air, we have created an extensive network of on-call medical professionals that we utilize according to medical needs of the patient we are transporting. Our medical staff is available to accompany patients during transportation as well as to assist with preparing patients for transport and coordinating with the treating facility in the U.S. All of our medical professionals are certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation & Basic Life Support, we also have professionals trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support who will be dispatched on flights with patients as appropriate. Our medical staff includes medical technicians, flight nurses, paramedics and physicians. Specific medical personnel deployed on each flight depends on patient needs and medical condition.
Learn more about First Air’s medical personnel qualifications
On-Board Monitoring
Advanced on-board monitoring devices that observe and display a patient’s vital signs and other health parameters during transportation greatly enhance patient safety and allow for timely necessary interventions for our patients. These monitoring devices range from simple tools like thermometers and blood pressure cuffs to advanced systems that track a multitude of functions, such as heart rate, oxygen levels, and glucose levels.
The advanced life support devices we utilize sustain, restore, or replace vital bodily functions for critically ill, comatose, or surgical patients during transportation. These systems are essential when a person’s body cannot perform its own essential functions. First Air’s life support equipment includes mechanical ventilators, kidney dialysis machines, cardiac monitors and defibrillators, intravenous infusion equipment, infusion pumps and other devices.
Portal to Portal Transport
Flying patients between two airports is just one component of the transportation services we provide. We handle all aspects of patient travel including air and ground transportation and all transfers. First Air provides complete portal to portal transportation for the patients we transport. Whether from the patient’s home to the treating facility and back to the patient’s home for ambulatory patients going to a scheduled appointment or treatment, or from the patient’s bed in a medical facility to a bed in another medical facility for critical care patients.
Insurance Coverage for Medical Transport
Getting insurance companies to cover medical air transportation can be complicated despite air ambulance benefits being included in many health plans. Determining the extent and circumstances of coverage can be confusing and can vary among policies. First Air can help patients understand their coverage terms and limitations, and ensure patients can access the benefits they are entitled to. Understanding insurance policies and the circumstances and procedures necessary to access coverage can be very complicated. There are more than one thousands health insurance companies in the U.S. with many thousands of individual insurance plans, and understanding your rights and coverage can be difficult. First Air’s insurance specialists have the experience and expertise to assist patients in navigating all types of insurance policies and getting the coverage the patient is entitled to in a timely manner.
We manage the entire insurance claim process for the patients we transport This includes reviewing the patient’s health insurance policy to determine eligibility, flight benefits and the extent and limitations of coverage; researching alternative sources of coverage such as worker’s compensation, travel, or motor vehicle insurance policies; reviewing insurance authorization requirement and compiling and submitting all necessary documents including the pre-authorization request required by many insurance policies for medical flight approval; and appealing any insurance coverage denials.
Security Available When Needed
In some circumstances private security is necessary to protect the patients we are transporting. It is can be difficult or impossible for foreign patients have security personnel legally accompany them when traveling to and in the U.S. First Air has a network of highly skilled and experienced security personnel who can provide whatever level of protection is needed by the patients we transport.
Ben Daniels MD, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Daniels is a physician, biomedical engineer and pilot. He has more than 35 years of professional flight experience, including being a founding partner and investor in a FAA Part 121 and two Part 135 certificated airlines. He has an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate for both airplanes and helicopters with 24 type ratings, along with Flight Instructor, Ground Instructor and Remote Pilot certificates and 17,500+ hours flying jets, turboprops, helicopters, and other aircraft. Dr. Daniels has extensive experience as a biomedical engineer working with medical device manufacturers and venture capital firms to develop, prove and introduce new medical products, with more than 20 of these companies going on to successful acquisitions. He received a B.A. from Boston University, M.D. from Drexel University School of Medicine and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
Daniel Parker
Vice President, Business Development & Patient Relations
Dan brings his more than 30 years experience in developing and managing companies along with his extensive network of business contacts to First Air. He has preciously worked extensively in both the automotive and construction sectors, most recently having built and run a successful commercial and residential construction company in South Florida. Dan has also been a partner in a medical ground transportation company that operates in Florida and Texas.