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Emergency Medical Evacuation
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Ample coverage and comprehensive medical assistance during an evacuation are foundational elements of all travel insurance products.
You may have some questions about this benefit. We help debunk some common misconceptions about medical evacuations below.
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MYTH:
Medical evacuation and repatriation are the same. |
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REALITY:
Medical evacuation typically means moving a patient from one location where the local care is not adequate to meet the patient’s needs to another nearby location that does. Repatriation means transport, usually medically supervised, back to the patient’s country of residence. There are situations where a medical evacuation is also a repatriation. Other times, a patient is evacuated to a nearby Center of Excellence (CoE) to receive care and recover, and then the patient continues with their journey. More commonly the patient has been evacuated first to a nearby CoE and then repatriated back home for longer-term care and/or convalescence. |
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MYTH:
Medical evacuation back to the U.S. is always the best course of action. |
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REALITY:
Based on the situation and treatment needed, the travel insurance Global Health & Safety (GHS) team works with the treating facility to determine patient stability and the risk and benefits of moving a patient to another facility. These factors provide important data as to whether a member requires evacuation back to the U.S. In most emergency cases, the patient will first be stabilized, then a plan will be set for medical evacuation to the closest CoE or repatriation. Should transport be recommended, our GHS team coordinates and arranges direct payment for the best method of transportation—for example, ambulance, helicopter, air ambulance—which may require a few days to complete. |
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We work directly with healthcare facilities to identify the best treatment options and care settings, coordinate appropriate medical transportation and arrange direct pay to healthcare providers for services with a goal to simplify and streamline a challenging, stressful event. |
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