Medi Ops: - Air Ambulance Search: Important Terms You Should Know

An air ambulance can be a great and life-saving tool. You are bound to see many phrases and terminology that are not familiar to you and that can make choosing a provider more difficult than it should be.

Here are some of the more frequently-used air ambulance terms that you are sure to come across as you embark on your air ambulance search.

Attend to both their actual definitions as well as implications; noting how they might be relevant to your unique circumstance.

Air Ambulance: Similar to a traditional road-bound ambulance, the air ambulance is often equipped with many types of equipment commonly found in an emergency room. The major difference is that this particular type of ambulance is designed to travel by air.

Medvac: Medvac is shorthand for medical evacuation. Technically, this refers to all types of medical transport, not just air ambulances.

Air Evac: Short for air evacuation, this term refers to all medical transport via air. Included under this umbrella would be various types of airlifts like Medvac, helicopters, private jets, bi-planes, and any other mode of transportation that utilizes air space to transport patients to a medical facility.

Air Ambulance Jet: This type of medical air evac refers only to Lear-type jets, which tend to offer more room inside for the passenger's medical equipment and staff. Unlike the two terms previously described, this term refers to the design and style of the aircraft.

RVSM: This scary-looking acronym stands for reduced vertical of separation minimums. It refers to the aircraft's ability to fly high above commercial airlines. When book air ambulance flights, it's a good idea to look for this type of system onboard. The higher altitude eliminates some of the turbulence experienced in aircraft that must fly at lower elevations.

LifePort: Just as you might see the term life support when researching medical facilities, so to you will see this categorizing and prioritizing of services onboard certain medical air flights. LifePort is simply the term that describes this multi-level treatment approach. Oddly enough, not all Medvac flights are equipped with their LifePort systems, so you must ask when making your travel arrangements.

Bed-To-Bed Care: This particular phrase is referred to by many other names: bedside-to-bedside, flight-to-curb, and even full service may refer to this feature. Regardless, the term refers to your transportation options from the aircraft to the health care facility you or the flight directors have agreed upon. Just be sure to clarify the actual availability before your flight.

So there you have it -- you now have a list of the most commonly used air evac terms that you are sure to come across as you embark on your medical flight search. As a final word of caution, you are strongly encouraged to speak with the flight director about any terms which you do not understand or are unsure about how they might pertain to your flight.

Medi Ops is a long-time expert on air ambulance flights with decades of experience. Learn much more about how to evaluate providers and locate air ambulance flights to the U.S.