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General Guidelines

Non-Emergent Transports

A.  The following guidelines DO NOT include Critical Care Transportation where an RN is required.

B.   Requests for non-emergent ground transportation between the hours of 0200 and 0600 are not likely to occur for the following reasons:

1.    LifeNet serves as the 911-response agency to multiple counties in the region. At night, the number of units is decreased due to the traditionally low volume of calls. Removing even one unit between 0200-0600 hours causes some service areas to be without coverage for 911 calls.

2.    Staffing - Non-emergent LDT’s between 0200-0600 hours are very rare (<2% of the total LDT’s for a year), consequently, LifeNet does not staff an on-call unit or on-call personnel specifically for the LDT.

C.   Notification Time for non-emergent ground transportation < 200 miles 

1.    LifeNet handles almost 70% of the LDT requests within 2 hours.

2.    We are generally capable of handling these requests in a timely manner without difficulty.

D.  Notification Time for non-emergent ground transportation > 200 miles

1.    For the safety of the crews and the patient, trips that are >200 miles require rested crews that have not been on-duty.

2.    LifeNet needs time to staff the unit due to the extended time for the transport, therefore:

a.    Requests for non-emergent ground transportation between the hours of 2230 and 0730 will fall into a “Safety Stand-Down Period.” This means that we will not actively seek personnel to handle the LDT. This Stand-Down Period is essential for the off-duty personnel as we require employees to have pagers and be available for disasters. Multiple LDT pages in the middle of the night will condition the employees to turn their pagers off to avoid disturbances, thus decreasing the system’s ability to handle disasters.

b.    We will actively pursue setting up an LDT crew between 0730 and 2230 hours.

3.    Requests for non-emergent ground transportation beyond 200 miles will require at least 16-24 hours notice. For safety purposes, the trip should occur during daylight hours and we prefer that the crew be back in town by 2300 hours.

E.   Weather – There may be instances where ground and air transportation are unsafe and LifeNet will choose to halt all LDT transports. These instances are rare and the decision is made by the Executive Director or his designee. All hospitals will be notified of these events and the estimated duration.

F.    Special Cases

1.    Psych Patients – We understand the some facilities are not set up to handle psyche patients for extended periods. It is our intent to help you repatriate those patients ASAP. However, the above guidelines apply to these patients.

2.    Open Beds – Often, patients are transported to distant facilities as beds come open. We understand the need to get the patient to the facility ASAP, however the above guidelines also apply to these patients. 

Estimates for Ground Travel > 200 Miles One-Way

 

Miles (rd trip)

Est. Hours (rd trip)

Oklahoma City, OK

626

13

Tulsa, OK

548

12

Austin, TX

750

13

Galveston, TX

692

17

Houston, TX

592

15

Waco, TX

550

10

 

Emergent Transports

A.  Definition of an Emergency – Use the criteria as set forth in the “Flight Criteria as Recommended by the Assoc. of Air Medical Services” section of this transport guide.

B.   Emergency Transports between the hours of 0200-0600 are handled on a case-by-case basis. Our intent is to transport all emergency transports ASAP. Limiting factors may be call-volume, multiple LDT requests, helicopter availability, and crew safety.

C.   Rarely, emergency transports occur where the patient must be taken to a facility that is >200 miles away. It is our intention to transport these patients by fixed wing aircraft. Traditionally, these take 2-3 hours before the airplane is on the ground and ready for us.

Last Update 12/12/02