Private Medical Transport in Toronto
Private Medical Transport Toronto | Air & Ground Ambulance Canada
Medical Transport from hospital to hospital can be a complex process, fraught with difficulty and challenge as you navigate various processes involved in arranging private medical transportation for your client, especially over long distances in Canada, between Provinces, or from overseas. The WPEMS Assist Team of professionals is here to help residents of the Greater Toronto Area from our private air ambulance and medical transport base located at YYZ - Toronto Pearson Airport.
As a social worker or hospital case manager, or family member, if you have landed on this webpage, you are likely to be tasked with the important job of arranging a private air ambulance or medical flight home for your patient. Here is some important information to guide you through the process of arranging a long distance medical transport to, from or within Canada.
Methods of Transport
Top of mind for our customers and the number one inquiry that we receive is often about a private air ambulance medical flight. Generally, a private medevac is the most expensive medical transport option to or from Toronto. Four options exist for medical transport in Canada:
- Private Air Ambulance Transfer on a medevac plane (most expensive, generally)
- Commercial Airline Medical Escort with Air Canada or WestJet
- Long Distance Ground Ambulance Transfer
- International airline medical stretcher transfer (to and from Canada)
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Inter-Provincial Air Ambulance
Air ambulance flights between provinces are not covered by medical benefits such as provincial healthcare insurance plans such as OHIP, nor is transfer on a commercial airline with a medical escort or by long distance ground ambulance. If a patient requires an emergency air ambulance within the Province, this type of service is arranged for by the province, in Ontario, this is covered by your OHIP provincial health insurance. However, provincial air ambulance systems do not support the transfer of patients between provinces or out-of-country, nor does the provincial medical insurance system cover out of province medical transfer. This is where private air medical transport becomes the best option to repatriate the patient home. WPEMS Assist provides private air ambulance services across Canada, from medical transport bases in Vancouver, Calgary and of course, Toronto.
Receiving Facility
Before the patient can be safely transferred, arrangements must be made for an accepting facility and Physician in the patient’s local area. Arranging for an accepting hospital can be a difficult and time consuming process. Like many hospitals in Canada, capacity is always an issue. Therefore, as part of arranging for a receiving facility for the patient, a medical transport plan should be in place for the patient, so that you can act quickly when a bed becomes available. Hospital beds are often offered on a “use it or loose it” basis, hence why having transport options and arrangements on standby for your patient well in advance is necessary.
WPEMS Assist has over a decade of experience in managing patient placements into available hospital beds in Ontario, and indeed, across Canada and the United States as well. Our Patient Placement Bed Find team can assist with the most daunting aspects of securing hospital admission.
Funding
Funding can come from a variety of sources. However, often it can be financially difficult for the patient or their family to pay for their medical repatriation. The illness or injury that brought them to the hospital was likely sudden and unexpected. And, as Canadian’s, chances are if travelling within Canada, the patient or their family did not consider taking out travel insurance. Afterall, medical care in Canada is often covered, except air ambulance transport between provinces.
Sources of funding for private medical transports in Canada include:
The patient or the patient’s family
- Private Health Insurance such as Blue Cross
- Credit cards that offer travel insurance as a credit card benefit
- From the sending medical facility or health authority who funds the transfer
For patients who are in your facility from out-of-province, this likely means that they are occupying vital hospital capacity that is intended for local residents. Additionally, the patient may wish to recover faster, and quicker in their home community.
Patient’s in Canada are not accustom to paying for a private medical transport and may not have considered purchasing travel insurance if they were only travelling within Canada. Like many, it is assumed that their provincial health insurance would cover air ambulance repatriation to their home province, but this is not the case for out-of-province residents, or for those patients who do not have provincial medical coverage, such as out of country visitors to Canada.
Because of the high cost of medical transportation in Canada, sometimes the sending hospital will fund the private air ambulance charter to repatriate the patient home. This is often the case for patients who are facing longer term hospitalization and are occupying bed space locally.
Medical Transport Options
The first thing that often comes to mind is an air ambulance. However, other options exist that may be suitable for the patient such as using a commercial airline flight with Air Canada or WestJet, with an RN or Paramedic Medical Escort. As well, depending on the distances involved, a long distance ground ambulance may be an appropriate method of transport as well. WPEMS has a priority medical clearance agreement with Air Canada, granting us quick access to discounted one way business class flights for our Flight Nurses and patients.
Long Distance Ground Ambulance
WPEMS Assist provides long distance ground ambulance medical transport services across Ontario. Our reliable private ground ambulances are based in Toronto, at YYZ, and are staffed with Paramedics, and Registered Nurses as required. Our Toronto private ground ambulances are available for inter-provincial transfers, and can also cross the Canada / USA Border.
Commercial Airline Medical Transport
Working with the airlines to medically transport your patient can be complex. Special airline medical clearances and permissions are required, in addition to managing patient specific details with the airline such as wheelchair assistance, and permission to bring oxygen on board the flight.
WPEMS Assist works with all major airlines to transfer patients in business class seating with a medical escort. Medical escorts include Registered Nurses and Paramedics who are specially trained in aeromedical transport, and flight physiology, as well as other advanced certifications and other vital medical and patient assessment skills.
We work directly with the airlines such as Air Canada to coordinate all logistics, including ground transfers and ambulances to and from the airport. You do not have to deal with the airline, WPEMS Assist handles all airline clearances, logistics, on board oxygen supply for your flight and complete airline ticketing. Within Canada, Air Canada is our preferred medical transport airline, as we have a long and trusted history of working together as partners for medical transport, both to and from Canada, as well as within Canada.
Commercial Airline Stretcher Transfers
Many international airlines offer stretcher service between major connecting points. Airlines that offer stretcher service to and from Canada from YYZ Toronto Pearson include Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air France and KLM, Emirates, and Air India, just to name a few.
A commercial airline stretcher is as described – a stretcher installed on the plane so that the patient can remain “in bed” during the flight, under the care of the medical transport team to their international destination. Contact WPEMS Assist today to discuss this option.
Summary
For social workers, family members and hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, a variety of private medical transport options exist to assist your patient home. Contact WPEMS Assist today to discuss your options and how we can help. Our email is info@pacific-ems.com