HEMS at Odds with Insurers, Medicare | Aviation International News

HEMS at Odds with Insurers, Medicare

In many cases air medical providers are compensated significantly below the cost of providing the service, say operators.

Helicopter EMS operators report that they are receiving only partial compensation from insurers for their services.

By Mark Huber • Contributor

August 23, 2016

Over the last several years, patient transport fees charged by the helicopter EMS industry in the U.S. have come under scrutiny from public policy makers, the private health insurance industry and elements of the general media. In many instances, the debate has become emotionally charged, with stories of uninsured or underinsured patients forced into bankruptcy by HEMS bills that at first blush appear usurious, sometimes exceeding $1,000 per mile. Concurrently, private health insurers are taking a harder line against HEMS charges, and the relationship between the health insurance companies and the HEMS industry often proves contentious and litigious, with HEMS companies more frequently taking insurers to court to compel payment or insurers extracting deeply discounted service to allow HEMS companies to participate in their networks as “approved providers.”

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