Air Ambulance
In: Health Care Issues, Costs and Access
Intro -- AIR AMBULANCE: INDUSTRY CHANGES AND SAFETY CONCERNS -- AIR AMBULANCE: INDUSTRY CHANGES AND SAFETY CONCERNS -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 AIR AMBULANCE: EFFECTS OF INDUSTRY CHANGES ON SERVICES ARE UNCLEAR -- WHY GAO DID THIS STUDY -- WHAT GAO FOUND -- ABBREVIATIONS -- BACKGROUND -- Air Ambulance Providers Operate under Three Basic Business Models -- Air Ambulance Providers Receive Revenue from a Variety of Sources, Including Federal Medicare and Medicaid Programs -- THE AIR AMBULANCE INDUSTRY HAS SEEN GROWTH AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE, BUT PERSPECTIVES DIFFER ON IMPLICATIONS FOR AVAILABILITY, EFFICIENT USE, SAFETY, AND SERVICES PROVIDED -- Growth in the Number of Air Ambulances and Movement of Their Bases into Communities Have Increased Availability -- Literature Indicates That Questions about the Medical Necessity of Some Air Ambulance Transports Have Existed for Decades -- Little Evidence Exists to Link Industry Growth to Safety Concerns -- Perspectives Differ on the Impact of Cost-Related Business Decisions on the Services Provided in Air Ambulances -- Evidence Lacking to Suggest Recent Growth Has Affected Medical Outcomes from Air Transports -- FEDERAL AND STATE COURTS AND DOT HAVE CLARIFIED SOME BOUNDARIES OF FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATION OF AIR AMBULANCES, BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN -- AGENCY AND EXTERNAL COMMENTS AND OUR EVALUATION -- APPENDIX I. SCOPE AND METHODS -- APPENDIX II. LITERATURE SYNTHESIS -- Step 1. Literature Search -- Step 2. Abstract Review -- Step 3. Synthesis -- Step 4. Bibliography Review -- Step 5. Analysis -- APPENDIX III. KEY COURT CASES AND OPINION LETTERS FROM DOT OR STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL -- APPENDIX IV: COMMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD -- REFERENCES -- End Notes -- Chapter 2 HEARING ON ―OVERSIGHT OF HELICOPTER MEDICAL SERVICES‖ -- PURPOSE OF HEARING -- BACKGROUND -- I. Safety