Critical Care Transportation Case - Research Paper Example

There are a number of factors that influence the financial aspect of patient transfer. These include the patient’s health condition, the mode of transport, and the distance between the two hospitals, among others (University of Maryland, 2009, p. 47).

The type of medical equipment required to transport a patient has an impact on the financial weight of patient transport. The sort of medical equipment needed is dependent on the health condition of the patient. A patient with a condition of heart disease would require adequate systems to be present within the transport vehicle; enabling the staff to deal with any complications that may arise during transport. This translates into a larger financial burden on the patient.

In this case, the child transported has asthma and pneumonia. Asthma and pneumonia are not as severe and critical as heart disease. However, the equipment required for transportation still consists of expensive devices such as Cardiac monitors, pulse oximeter, oxygen delivery system, and intubation equipment including others (Jaimovich & Vidyasgar, 2002, p. 236). 

The distance between the two hospitals is crucial in deciding the means of transport. For small distances; intra city transport, ground vehicles are ideal. For large distances; intercity transport, air transport is preferred. Primarily there are three forms of transport used to transfer patients; these are ambulances, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft (Jaimovich & Vidyasgar, 2002, p. 245).

Ambulances are the most economical means of transport. Ambulances are ideal when the distance between the two institutions isn’t large. There is a multitude of advantages of which some are; ambulances are able to provide door-to-door transport and in case of an emergency the ambulance can be rerouted to the nearest healthcare facility. However, the repetitive acceleration and deceleration may cause discomfort to the patient. Also, ambulances cannot be equipped with pediatric-sized equipment. Ambulances have a base rate of $137.60 which includes the first 10 miles covered after which $3.44 are charged for each additional mile driven (George Grob, personal communication, 2000).

The other two means of transport, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, are much costlier than ambulances. Setting the finance factor aside, helicopter and fixed-wing transport are much faster and efficient than transport in an ambulance. Though it is efficient, it still requires the presence of an ambulance at the airfield to transport the patient from the airfield to the hospital. The cost of air transporting patients averages $2600 to $6200 per flight (University of Maryland, 2009, p. 47).

After analyzing these factors it can be said that the cost of transporting a patient is majorly weighted over the distance that has to be covered and the health condition of the patient. All other elements that influence the cost of transportation are dependent on the conditions mentioned afore.

The equipment that will be utilized to transport the child with asthma and pneumonia will be consistent irrespective of the mode of transport. The mode of transport is related to the distance that has to be covered. For larger distances, air transport seems to be the most viable option while for short distances ground transport is more feasible. Opting for air transport translates into a higher financial burden while ground transport results in fewer burdens but puts the patient at risk.  It can be deduced that for a child without health insurance, the cost-effective method to be transported would be to opt for ground transport. However, if the destination hospital is far, out of the city, then transportation is not advisable.