Rotorcraft
Aeromed pros disagree over efficacy of EMS
Nearly since the first U.S.-based emergency medical services (EMS) flight operation was performed in the early 1970s, controversy has swirled around the pr

Nearly since the first U.S.-based emergency medical services (EMS) flight operation was performed in the early 1970s, controversy has swirled around the practice. In battlefield conditions, where the dangers were more clear cut and the issue nearly always one of life and death, questions on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of EMS flights are rarely raised.

On the home front, however, the story is altogether different. Almost since the first day Dr. Malcolm Cowley, the father of the modern helo-based EMS concept, began conducting his first airborne operations from the University of Maryland’s Baltimore shock/trauma center, controversy over the risks and benefits of aero EMS operations has raged. The practice has come under fire from insurers anxious to cut costs. Severe upticks in the EMS accident rate have also drawn fire from critics.

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