Types of Medical Transportation

Emergency Ambulance

An emergency ambulance service is here when called for any life-threatening emergency, whether at home, out in the public, or in the event of a vehicle accident. Numerous situations arise necessitating the need for an emergency ambulance to get the person to the hospital. These transports are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, medicine, and skilled paramedics.

Non-emergency Transports

This type of transport service carries patients for a few different reasons. When a patient needs transferring to another hospital or rehabilitation center, for therapy sessions, for simple errands, lab tests and more this is the transportation service recommended. In most cases, the person is not able to sit up in a chair or ride in a care to get to their appointed destination.

Long Distance Patient Transports

These services center on the patient and particular health need. If the patient’s condition is stable but the patient is in critical condition and requires transportation to a hospital where equipment and knowledge extend beyond what the current hospital offers this transport is called.

Skilled paramedics go with the patient, especially if the patient is in critical condition. If the patient is stable and needs transportation to a facility closer to their home, then staff with basic knowledge is used in the transportation of this patient. If the patient is discharged home and cannot ride in a car, an essential transport service and stretcher is utilized.

Air Transport Services

When a patient is in a life-threatening situation, and they need to get to a hospital that can handle their condition, an air transport service may be called for that patient. The staff that accompanies this critically ill person is a doctor, nurse, and skilled technician who can keep the patient stable until they arrive at the appointed destination.

Air transport services are called to any hospital or at the scene of an accident, a remote injury scene, where the person was injured and needs quick assistance and transportation for medical help. Air transport services can arrive at appointed destinations a lot sooner than any emergency ambulance.

Taxi versus Basic Specialized Transportation

Some cities employee drivers to help pick up the elderly or physically challenged person to get them where they need to go if the individual is unable to drive or does not drive a vehicle. This service picks up the person and drops them off at places such as shopping plazas, grocery stores, doctor’s appointments, therapy appointments, testing centers, and much more. The person has no immediate health concerns and is able to go about their day on their own without assistance.

This type of transportation is different than a taxi service because they are equipped to handle wheelchairs and have lifts to transport the person in their wheelchair, whether it is a manual or electric chair. A taxi does not have specialized equipment to handle this type of transportation need.