NATIONAL PATIENT TRAVEL CENTER...Mercy Medical Airlift...Serving the Angel Flight America System

From: Helen Dynda (olddad66@runestone.net)
Thu Mar 29 10:42:07 2001


NATIONAL PATIENT TRAVEL CENTER...Mercy Medical Airlift...Serving the Angel Flight America System

http://www.patient-travel.org/afas/nptc.htm

PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL PATIENT TRAVEL CENTER (NPTC)

The NPTC exists to facilitate patient access to appropriate charitable medical air transportation resources in the United States. The NPTC also exists to develop, administer and consolidate airline patient ticket programs and to operate various Special-Lift and Child-Lift programs on behalf of special disease organizations and/or clinical research centers in the United States. The NPTC also has the means for bringing ambulatory outpatients from many overseas locations to the United States..

The purpose of the Angel Flight America Network and the National Patient Travel Center is ".....to ensure that no financially-needy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation."

PROGRAMS AT THE NPTC (as of January 2000)

1. National Patient Travel HELPLINE Program. This program has been in continuous operation since 1991. More than 13,000 calls were received by this HELPLINE during 1999. Referrals are made to the most appropriate Angel Flight America program throughout the United States. Phone number is 1-800-296-1217.

2. National Patient Ticket HELPLINE Program. This program started in 1998 and is growing rapidly. Staff operating this program can refer patients to the most appropriate charitable airline ticket program. Many programs provide free tickets - and some provide highly-discounted reduced-rate tickets - even for last minute medically-related long-distance travel. Phone number is 1-800-325-8908.

3. Special-Lift and Child-Lift Programs. This special service provides for "single-point of contact" administration of patient air transportation programs for special disease organizations or clinical research centers. Persons concerned with travel assistance and arrangements for a diverse patient population needing to travel to special clinical trials or other treatment programs should investigate this source of program assistance. Phone number is 1-888-675-1405.

4. Airline Program Development. NPTC personnel provide no-cost consulting to airline executive staff for the purpose of assistant airlines in developing effective charitable or reduced-rate patient ticket programs. Phone 1-757-318-9175.

5. Airline Ticket Program Management. NPTC staff and volunteers administer charitable airline ticket programs on behalf of individual airlines and a private foundation with whom the NPTC has agreements. This is done at no cost to the airline and maximizes benefit and "system" service to needy patients. Phone 1-800-325-8908


Enter keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords: