Keller Williams Realty Professionals

Phi Air Medical is an independent air medical transportation company that provides critical care and air ambulance services at the request of State Emergency Physicians and EMS personal on a national and international basis Our mission is to provide the highest and safest level of
emergency clinical care and air ambulance services to our patients when PHI is dispatched by the request of these emergency care physicians and emergency medical responders who have evaluated the patient's condition and need for the specially licensed and trained critical care personal and pilots involved in air ambulance transport.In the PHI is a provider of medical care and in that this complaint concerns a health matter, we are bound to the confidentiality provisions and privacy protections afforded our patients under The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of (HIPAA)In lieu of the above, PHI is unable to confirm or comment as to whether MsLand's son was a patient under our care However, in that this would be the case, PHI will make every effort to reach out to the complainant and attempt to resolve the issues presented with your officeOtherwise, PHI would welcome the opportunity to explain our general billing processes in that air ambulance billing is unique from other providers of medical services, and explain our balance billing process and patient advocacy practiced by PHI that may be unique to any medical billing practice or to the air ambulance industry itselfPHI's billing requirements are regulated under Section (s) (7) of the Social Security Act and billed under the Statues and Regulations of a Medicare Part B ServicePHI bills our services subject to the regulations set forth above by billing for a "Level of Service" or Base Rate" constituting in part, the operational costs associated with providing equipment, supplies, personnel and maintenance and depreciationExamples of some of the operational costs include the cost of a rotary wing aircraft (specialty manufactured air ambulance helicopter) which can range from over $million to $million dollars There is also the cost associated with the regulated and voluntary maintenance of the aircraft; taking the aircraft "out-of-service" for specified time periods resulting in the cost of "back-up" aircraft;and the cost associated with the requirement that all mechanics to hold a current A&P license as well as five (5) years' experience working with this type of aircraft Of note; PHI assigns two of these specialty mechanics and one lead care nurses and emergency certified paramedicsPilots and the vast majority of PHI's specialty medical crew personnel are full-time, operating on a 24-hour basis, days per year (regardless of how many times we are requested to respond to an emergency)Other operational costs include, and again are not limited to, the cost of our "base" housing (likened to the cost of home ownership); hangers and maintenance facilities; our communications and tracking centers (likened to an airport control tower); equipment; license's and certifications; State, Federal, Regional and local regulatory compliance costs, and cost associated with our safety and technology programs.
PHI would also like to respond to the complaint that; "There are hundreds of cases across the states where they have overcharged by incredible percentages and are coming after people for this amounts." This complaint appears to be based on negative articles and media coverage that has recently attacked the air ambulance industry as first responders of emergency careWhat is not presented and certainly pertinent is that air ambulance providers, including PHI, are all regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration under this Federal Act However, and additionally, PHI also considers our charges by evaluating them under what is "usual, customary and reasonable." The Employee Benefits Security Administration defines these terms as the amount paid for a medical services in a geographic area based on what providers in the area usually charge for the same or similar medical service." To obtain this information; PHI relies on widely-used and accepted independent benchmarking data sources to include Fair Health and Contex HealthcarePHI is always disappointed and frustrated when insurers choose to pass claim liability costs for emergency care on to our patients regardless of an area's fair market claim reimbursement rateIn these cases, PHI actively advocates for our patients in appealing these determinations and requesting contractual information from the carrier that would substantiate, through a policy provision, that emergency care liability or insurance "risk" be assessed back to our patients It is not our belief that a contract, including an insurance contract, accepting premiums to assume the cost of medical care, should, or can, pass that cost or risk back to the MemberAdditionally, in the event that PHI exhausts all these efforts with the insurer, and the insurer has refused to negotiate a fair and reasonable care of reimbursement, we continue to work with our patients on establishing payment options, payments discounts and in offering charity programs that could assist in relieving our patient's with a portion of, or with the entire balance left them by the insurer'sOur charity applications are subject to State, Federal and Internal regulations, guidelines, audits; and; as in a majority of cases in which these charity programs are even offered, require financial information as of the factors in the consideration and determination of program qualification In that a charity application is completed and received, it is fairly reviewed by a "charity committee" and our patients, are immediately contacted once the determination is madeIn fact; these financial options, including the charity programs extended to our patients, are so prevalent that they contribute to almost thirty (30) percent of our operating costsA fact seemingly ignored in articles published by the media Of course, in the event that our patient would decline to complete an application, our advocacy options become more limited Again, PHI is obligated to, and voluntarily, protects any individually identifiable health information and therefore is unable to confirm the transport at issue However; in the PHI does confirm that we provided services in this case, PHI will attempt to reach out to the Member in reference to her concerns and, in good faith, attempt to assist the family with any financial claim liability left them by their carrierSincerely,
Mike *** HIA, MHP
Appeals Coordinator