Fire Rescue News - New guidelines mean faster medevac helicopter arrivals, but with higher price tag

Medevac helicopters throughout the state are responding to patient emergencies quicker than ever. The speedier arrival, however, could mean a costlier flight for the patient.

New state guidelines governing the deployment of air ambulances took effect this month; they allow the closest medevac helicopter to respond to.....Continue Reading

 medical emergencies. Previously, the state-operated New Jersey air medical program was given priority in answering emergency calls.

David Gruber, the senior assistant commissioner for New Jersey's Department of Health and Senior Services, said the changes were made because the private medical helicopters had caught up with the efficient state-run program in terms of being able to respond quickly and provide appropriate care to the patient.

Chuck Uhl has noticed the difference in time when medical helicopters respond to emergencies in Galloway Township, where he serves as chief of the rescue squad. Uhl said that when SouthStar, part of the state-run New Jersey air ambulance program, gets called to an emergency, it usually gives an estimated arrival time of 15 to 20 minutes.

When Medevac 5, a commercial responder, flies from Hammonton, the wait time is usually between 10 and 15 minutes, Uhl said.

Five minutes might not seem like a lot, but, Uhl said, it's definitely helpful, especially when factors such as weather can further delay flight time.

"It certainly does mean a lot when you're trying to get a patient out quickly," Uhl said.

But the faster response will come at a price, and bills for airlifts could increase dramatically.

SouthStar charges $1,337 for airlifting services, said Scott Kasper, corporate director of emergency services at Virtua Health. Co-pays and deductibles that a patient has to pay vary depending on insurance companies.

"Because SouthStar receives grant funding through (the state), those charges are only about one-tenth the national industry standard rates for helicopter transport," Kasper said.

According to 2010 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the base rate for a flight in Atlantic City and the surrounding area is $3,307.89. In rural areas around Atlantic City, the rate jumps to $5,274.43.

The farther a patient is from a hospital, the more money it costs for helicopter flights. Rural rates for medevac services are $32.30 per mile in rural areas and $21.53 in urban areas. Those costs are in addition to the base rates.

Need for speed

The state's medevac helicopter program falls under the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and was established in 1988.

The program is divided between two divisions that cover the southern and northern parts of the state. SouthStar is based in Voorhees in Camden County at Virtua Health. Its territory generally covers the entire part of the state south of I-195, which runs across New Jersey from Trenton through to Wall Township in Monmouth County. NorthStar is based out of Somerset Airport and covers emergencies in Sussex, Morris, Warren, Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Union, Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, and Essex counties.

Both SouthStar and NorthStar are the primary responders to calls for medevac helicopters. But in recent years, the state has become increasingly reliant on commercial air ambulance services. In 2006, SouthStar recorded 1,501 flights, a number that reflects both flights to accident scenes and patient transfers. By 2009, that number had dropped to 700 flights, a 53 percent decrease in flights. By comparison, Atlantic Health's flight responses grew from 191 to 380 in that same time period, a 99 percent increase.

"Any time you can provide faster assistance to a patient, it's a good thing," said Johnny Delgado, who works in emergency services for AtlantiCare's ambulance fleet.

Delgado said Medevac 5 responds to calls within a 30-minute circle. That time frame is enough to cover most of southern New Jersey, including all the way down to the lower tip of Cape May County.

The helicopter responds to between 80 to 100 calls per month for emergencies and inter-hospital transfers.

Medevac 5 in Hammonton uses one aircraft with a second helicopter as backup. It employs four pilots, a mechanic, and 20 medical personnel who are prepared to deliver immediate care at the scene and on the helicopter.

‘Right for the patient'

The emergence of private air ambulance companies should benefit the residents of New Jersey, said Dawn Mancuso, executive director of the Association of Air Medical Services, a nonprofit organization that pushes for accreditation of the air ambulance industry.

"The goal is to do what's right for the patient," Mancuso said. Mancuso said New Jersey is one of just a handful of states that didn't utilize private medevac helicopters until now.

For years, the state's medical helicopters were given priority on emergency calls because they were better equipped than the private ones.

"They were capable of going much faster than other helicopters," Gruber said.

But with the emergence of the commercial air fleet, the private helicopters have caught up. And in many cases, the private carriers may be closer than SouthStar or NorthStar.

Mid-Atlantic MedEvac covers five states, including eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York, New Jersey, Delaware and northeastern Maryland, and operates Medevac 5 based in Hammonton.

Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation, or MONOC, operates only in New Jersey and partners with hospitals in nine counties, including Ocean County. Atlantic Health's medical helicopters are based out of Morristown in Morris County.

But the rise of the private air fleet could create more problems for the state program, which has already struggled with funding.

Kasper said the loss of flights to the private industry will create an even larger funding gap next year.

The guidelines went into effect so recently that the state doesn't have any feedback for how the new system is working yet.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said that he is in favor of the inclusion of the private helicopters, but said he's also watching closely to see whether the bills become too burdensome for patients already struggling with rising health care costs.

"When they have an emergency that they never knew was going to happen to them, they can't be burdened with a gigantic bill that they can't handle," Van Drew said.

Contact Ben Leach:  609-463-6712  BLeach@pressofac.com