Air Med International

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This membership includes air medical transportation benefits that are not covered by Original Medicare. Travel domestically and internationally with confidence knowing that care at a hospital facility close to home is just a phone call away.

Note to BlueAdvantage members: This is a value-added service. The products and services described below are neither offered nor guaranteed under our contract with the Medicare program. In addition they are not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any disputes regarding these products and services may be subject to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s grievance process.

Membership Services:

• Hospital-to-hospital transportation when you are hospitalized more than 150 miles from your home. More If you are hospitalized while traveling, AirMed will arrange air transportation to a hospital facility of your choice in the U.S. or Canada.
• Air medical transportation to a specialty facility. More If you are hospitalized and need the services of a specialty facility located more than 150 miles away, AirMed will provide transportation to a U.S. or Canadian hospital of your choice. You must be unable to travel by commercial means without a medical escort. The transport must be considered medically necessary by your attending physician and the AirMed physician.
• Transportation of remains.  More If you should die while traveling more than 150 miles from your home, AirMed will arrange transportation for your remains to a funeral facility requested by your family in your city of residence.
• Transportation for traveling companion.  More One family member or traveling companion will be allowed to accompany a member on the AirMed flight, subject to prior approval and space availability. Priority is given to medical equipment and personnel required for the safety of the patient.

 Additional Services:

• Worldwide Medical Services Hotline Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. More This service provides information on how and where to obtain medical care while traveling including medical monitoring and coordination with local health care professionals.
• Medical Referral. More AirMed can provide referrals to local doctors and hospitals.
• Medical Monitoring. More If you need to be monitored by a health care professional while traveling, an AirMed physician will monitor you while coordinating with a local physician, your physician and the AirMed medical director.
• Foreign Travel Advisories and ThreatAssessments. More You have access to the AirMed communications center department for up-to-the minute foreign travel advisories and threat assessments.

 AirMed Terms and Conditions

•  You must be hospitalized as an inpatient more than150 miles from your primary residence as listed in BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s records and transported to another hospital as an inpatient.
• Air ambulance evacuation and repatriation flights, international or domestic, will be performed if: an inpatient hospitalization is required and it is determined that the remaining hospital stay can be completed at a hospital near your home; and you are unable to return home via commercial airline without a medical escort.
• Due to the limited medical facilities and testing available on cruise ships, the AirMed Medical Director may, in some cases, require you to be admitted to a hospital on-shore before scheduling air medical transportation to another hospital.
• AirMed must make all arrangements for medical evacuation and repatriation. You will not be reimbursed for expenses you incur on your own. Decisions regarding urgency of the case, the best timing and the most suitable means of transportation will be made by the AirMed Medical Department after consultation with the local attending physician and your receiving physician.
• Aircraft used for the medical transport of AirMed members are fully equipped intensive care aircraft staffed by specially trained medical teams. However, if your condition permits, you may be transported at AirMed’s expense, by a scheduled commercial airline, while in the care of an AirMed medical escort team.
• The transportation of mortal remains is limited to the return of your remains to a funeral facility in the city of your primary residence as listed in BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s records.
• Both the originating and receiving hospital must be reasonably accessible by ground ambulance to transport you to and from an airfield capable of accommodating AirMed aircraft or one of its authorized affiliates.
• Air medical services are limited to two separate flights per member per year.
• You have access to AirMed and/or an authorized affiliate’s fixed wing (airplane) air ambulance service. In areas not accessible to fixed wing aircraft, the costs associated with transportation by other than fixed wing aircraft, including helicopter evacuation, to a location accessible to AirMed and/or an affiliate’s aircraft will be the responsibility of the member.
• AirMed provides you with fixed wing (airplane) air ambulance service. Your benefit does not include helicopter evacuation.
• Due to the high risk of sending U.S. registered aircraft and personnel into countries where the U.S. State Department has issued travel restrictions, services may be subject to exclusion in these areas.
• If you have contagious airborne pathogens, you may not be transported.
• Anyone beyond the second trimester of pregnancy may not be transported.
• If you have mild lesions, simple injuries such as sprains, simple fractures or mild illness which can be treated by local doctors and do not prevent you from continuing your trip or returning home, you do not qualify for air medical transport.
• Air medical transport services will not be provided in cases where your primary admitting diagnosis is an inpatient psychiatric disorder.
• If you are traveling outside of the U.S. for the sole purpose of seeking medical treatment, whether inpatient or outpatient, experimental or otherwise, you will not be eligible for air medical transport benefits forthat specific medical condition.
• AirMed benefits are valid for unlimited travel periods, provided no single travel period exceeds 90 days duration outside the U.S. or Canada.
• Family member’s business associate and/or traveling companion may accompany you, at no additional cost, on AirMed aircraft during transport, providing space is available and your care is not compromised. Passengers accompanying patients transported on scheduled commercial aircraft will be responsible for their own airfare.
• While AirMed makes every effort to accommodate its members, you and your accompanying passenger are limited to one small carry-on bag each due to limited space on available on medical aircraft. AirMed will arrange for additional luggage to be forwarded at your expense.
• You will not be entitled to air medical transportation benefits if your illness or injury is a result of, or is contributed to, by the following:
  • War, invasion or civil war;
  • Suicide or attempted suicide or intentional self-injury;
  • Your own criminal or felonious act, or sustained while you are in a state of insanity;
  • If you have an infectious disease under treatment on the effective date of your AirMed membership, you will not be transported for any condition related to that infection;
  • If you are on an organ transplant list prior to the effective date of your AirMed membership, you will not be entitled to a transport for that transplant;
  • If you are hospitalized on the effective date of your AirMed membership, you will not be eligible for transport benefits for that hospitalization and may not be entitled to benefits at all.

Note to all members: Air medical transportation services are provided through a contract with AirMed International, LLC. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is not responsible for any mistakes, errors or omissions that AirMed, its employees, or staff members make. Air medical transportation benefits terminate if you cancel your BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee policy or by 30 days written notice. The benefits explained in this document may also change with 30 days notice.