Dear Editor,
Just to clarify things a bit: I do not know the particulars of
this transport but I do know the way it works.
Dear Editor,
Just to clarify things a bit: I do not know the particulars of this transport but I do know the way it works.
Even though the boy was not transported by the helicopter he was treated by the helicopter team. They are a higher level of care than an ambulance crew and would have used all their own equipment and medical supplies as well as providing the care for the patient.
The bill is not for the ride, but for the specialized crew and supplies and equipment.
Once the team accepts the patient from the ambulance crew, even if they decide not to fly him, they cannot hand him back over to the ambulance crew as that would be abandonment (as they are a higher level of care).
Instead they continue to treat the patient and make the best decision about which method of transport to use for him. All decisions are made in the best interest of the patient and money does not even come into the decision-making process.
Also people are not charged just because a helicopter is dispatched. If the team does not take the patient either by ground or by air the patient is not charged just because the helicopter was called. The company absorbs the cost for these calls.
Anne Oxenbridge, Gilroy
