The third-party payors then pay only a “reasonable amount” for the transport service, and Air Evac “balance bills” the patient for the remainder of the amount. The forms “seek to bind to pay whatever charges, regardless of the reasonableness of the charged amounts.” But the complaint says this is not permitted under the federal Airline Deregulation Act (ADA).Īfter the transportation has taken place, Air Evac has patients “sign assignment of benefits or authorization to bill forms (‘AOB’) prepared by” Air Evac, the complaint says. However, since patients did not enter into a contract, the complaint says, their contractual obligations can only be based on state law. Instead, the amount billed, the complaint says, is “four times that amount and more.” The complaint quotes an officer of a different air transport company as saying that if “everybody paid their fair share, you know what the charge for this service would be? $12,000.” Only afterwards does Air Evac send a bill with a mileage charge and a “helicopter rotor base charge,” demanding payment for an amount that the complaint claims “vastly exceeds both the cost to provide the transport and the fair market value of the transport.” The transportation is arranged and patients are transported, without their knowledge or express or informed consent, or under the duress of life-threatening or other serious medical conditions that require immediate treatment at a hospital.”īut there’s another reason negotiation and consent are impossible: Air Evac, the complaint says, does not reveal its pricing.
The complaint points out that “first responders or medical personnel generally determine whether a patient needs emergency helicopter transport. The sixteen plaintiffs in this case, the complaint alleges, “were transported by in an emergent situation where there was no contractual relationship and no agreement with respect to the transports.” The states for involved for the plaintiffs in this case include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
The multi-state class for this action is all persons billed by Air Evac, or who paid a bill from Air Evac, for air medical transport that Air Evac carried out from a location in. The complaint alleges that Air Evac EMS, Inc., which does business as Air Evac LifeTeam, overcharges patients for transportation, noting that those needing emergency air transport are generally in no condition to make decisions or negotiate rates. The Muscle Shoals base has been in operation since May 2001.At issue in this class action are charges for air transport in case of medical emergencies. The company operates 75 bases in 12 states throughout the central United States. Officials with the FAA have been notified and will begin their formal investigation.Īir Evac Life team, operated by Air Evac EMS, Inc., is the largest independently owned air medical provider in the United States. The aircraft went down near Mount Mills Road.The names of the crew members are not being released pending notification of next-of-kin.Īt this time, the cause of the accident is unknown. to assist Colbert County law enforcement officials who were involved in a search for a hunter who had gotten lost in a wooded area south of Barton in Colbert County.
Our focus at this time is on providing support for the family and friends of these crew members. These were our family members and we are devastated at this loss. This is a tragic day for us here at Air Evac Life team, said Air Evac Life team President and CEO Colin Collins.
this morning, killing all three crew members aboard the aircraft. An Air Evac Life team air medical helicopter, based in Muscle Shoals, Ala., was involved in an accident around 3:05 a.m.
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