Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Medical airlifts can result in steep price

A 46-year-old West Virginia motorcyclist escaped serious injury recently when he lost control of his 2007 Harley Davidson bike and landed in a ditch. He was airlifted from Wilderness Road in Bland County to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

According to Virginia State Police, the operator was knocked unconscious in the accident and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. He was treated at the Roanoke hospital and released later that evening.

“It’s an unwritten thing about when to fly a person out,” noted Lonnie Gay, EMS chief for the Bland County Rescue Squad. “We look at the overall status of the victim. Most of us have at least 15 years of experience in this line of work. We can usually tell when the person needs to go to a trauma center.”

After the decision to airlift the patient is made, Gay said, the Bland County Sheriff’s Office is notified. The dispatcher from that office calls the helicopter service, usually Wings in Marion, Gay stated.

“That’s because Wings is the closest,” he pointed out. “We call Wings first and if it’s not available we call Carilion Radford. “If a person is having a heart attack, he needs to be at a cath lab as soon as possible.”

Gay reported he was aware of the expenses to the patient associated with airlifting. He acknowledged the costs are thousands of dollars and some insurance policies cover them.

“Time is life,” Gay commented. “What’s your life worth?”

The Bland County Fairgrounds, the county’s schools and former school lots in Ceres and Hollybrook are landing sites. If needed, sections of main roads in the county can be blocked for helicopter landing.

Patients not airlifted from the scene, Gay stated, are transported by ambulance to Wythe County Community Hospital. Those from the Rocky Gap are usually taken to the hospital in Bluefield, he noted.

Virginia State Police Med-Flight

Med-Flight, the Virginia State Police Aviation Unit, provides free services. Many people are unaware of the organization.

The Virginia State Police Aviation Unit was established Jan. 1, 1984, with Med-Flight II beginning operations in Abingdon in 1987.

Other bases are in Richmond and Lynchburg.

Sgt. J.W. Ratliff is the aviation based supervisor for the Abingdon location. His unit covers a 60-mile radius of Abingdon.

According to him, the State Police provides the helicopter, pilot and building. The Wellmont Health Care System furnishes the medical crew (nurse and paramedic) at no charge.

Wellmont, Ratliff said, also donates $700,000 yearly to cover medical crew salaries, equipment and supplies.

“We are here to provide a service,” the sergeant stated. “If folks call, we will come.”

The issue of time, Ratcliff said, is often a major factor in emergencies. The helicopter service that can be at the scene the fastest is usually the one called, Sgt. Ratliff stated

He noted that Med-Flight II can fly from its base in Abingdon to Wythe County Community Hospital in 25 minutes. Wings Air Rescue, a private medical helicopter service in Marion, can be in Wytheville in 12 minutes, according to Ratliff.

Ratliff pointed out first responders at an accident scene decide when a victim or victims should be airlifted to a trauma center. The emergency room doctor, he said, makes the decision when a person is transported to the hospital first.

“It’s really a judgment call,” Ratliff remarked. “It’s better to err on the side of caution.”

He was referring to accident victims being airlifted to a hospital where they are often treated and released the same day.

Wythe County Community Hospital Procedures

 
Wythe County Community Hospital does not contract with any helicopter transport service, according to Theresa H. Dix, chief nursing officer. It has the options of using AirCare, Wings, LifeCare, LifeGuard, Med-Flight and Pegasus.

The choice is based on patient/family choice and services needed for the patient. For example, Dix said, a burn victim would be transported by Pegasus to the burn center at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

She also reported the emergency department physician/hospitalist or primary care physician decides if a patient needs to be airlifted to another facility. The receiving physician, Dix noted, may also make the call.


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