AAMS and the MedEvac Foundation International are pleased to announce that the MedEvac Foundation has contracted with Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS) to conduct a new Economic Impact Study focused on hospitals and hospital-based medical transport programs. The new study will examine the impacts that air medical transport and critical care ground transport programs have on their hospitals.

EPS will gather information from a sampling of hospitals throughout the US that are representative of difference hospital specializations, such as pediatrics, oncology, cardiac, etc. A sampling of the major questions to be answered include:

• What level of admissions volume, types of care, and revenue does an air and critical care ground transport program account for in a hospital?
• What kind of “downstream” or subsequent visit activity and revenue is associated with an initial air and critical care ground transport patient visit?

As with the findings from the previous economic impact study, the findings of this study will provide the Foundation, its donors, and the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) and its members, with more information, data, and understanding of the economic benefits generated by the industry.

The Foundation sees this study as one more component in a multi-faceted approach to documenting the benefit of air medical transport to the larger national health care system. The findings of the previous study quantified the external (i.e. community) effects that the rotary wing industry has on the larger economy, this study will quantify the more internal (i.e. hospital-specific) benefits of the industry.

If you have any questions regarding the study, please contact Kristin Discher, AAMS & MedEvac Foundation Project Manager at 703-836-8732 x115 or via email at kdischer@aams.org.