University of Iowa Health Care on Wednesday announced it is expanding its air transport partnership with Air Methods — a private medical helicopter company that recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
News of UIHC’s partnership with Air Methods to open a new helicopter base in Davenport comes months after the Colorado-based medical helicopter company emerged from a Chapter 11 restructuring that cut about $1.7 billion out of the $2.24 billion in debt it took into its October 2023 bankruptcy filing.
The business — with which UI Health Care has partnered for a decade — was struggling due to rising interest rates, increasing labor costs, and a national ban on “surprise” medical bills like those sent to patients unwittingly transported to out-of-network providers from those considered in-network by their insurance, according to Reuters.
UIHC patients have complained to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office about exorbitant bills — like one man’s $35,000 charge for a flight transport from Des Moines in 2014.
Air Methods — which started in 1980 in Denver and grew into the country’s largest air medical transport services provider, with more than 100,000 annual transports — has faced lawsuits alleging price gouging.
And when Air Methods filed for bankruptcy in October, it reported owing several Iowa-based hospitals millions in “unsecured claims.” It owed the University of Iowa $1.3 million; Mercy Medical Center $2.1 million; and UnityPoint Health $679,443, according to court records.
UIHC officials have not said how much, if any, of that claim it has been paid.
The University of Iowa launched its AirCare enterprise in 1979 — making it the first hospital-based air ambulance in Iowa and the 11th nationally. It added a second helicopter in 1987 and moved it to Waterloo a year later — with AirCare II now stationed at Covenant Medical Center.
AirCare III debuted at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque in 2016, and the new base in Davenport is expected to open this fall, according to a UIHC news release.
“If you or a loved one are involved in a life-threatening accident or medical emergency, seconds matter,” Andrew Nugent, chair and departmental executive officer for UIHC’s Department of Emergency Medicine, said in a statement. “AirCare’s new helicopter base in Davenport means people living in the Quad Cities will now have the latest medical transport technology right in their backyard.
“Our teams’ expertise means patients receive swift and specialized care during transport, significantly improving chances of recovery and survival.”
The new base will host physicians, flight nurses, pilots, and other professionals and offer rapid transport for trauma victims, neonates, pediatric patients, and patients experiencing time-sensitive or complex medical conditions.
All flights are operated by Air Methods, according to the university. Location details are being finalized, according to the university release reporting, “The base is expected to be operational in the coming weeks.”
“The opening of a fourth AirCare base is a milestone in our mission to extend lifesaving care to high-risk patients facing time-sensitive and complex medical needs,” Nugent said. “We hope that the Quad Cities region is as excited for access to this patient care service as we are.”
The university’s AirCare operation already collaborates with 100 emergency medical services, fire, and law enforcement entities across Iowa and the region, and expanding to the Quad Cities “further supports UI Health Care’s long-term goals of supporting access to health care across the state.”
UIHC last week announced a $280 million acquisition of the 43-year-old Des Moines-based “Mission Cancer + Blood” — expanding its cancer care reach into central and western Iowa.
It also is increasing its physical footprint — with plans to open a new orthopedics-centered hospital and emergency room in North Liberty next year and build a new $1 billion inpatient tower on its main Iowa City campus.
UIHC also this year bought the former Mercy Iowa City community hospital for $28 million in a bankruptcy auction.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
www.thegazette.com
News of UIHC’s partnership with Air Methods to open a new helicopter base in Davenport comes months after the Colorado-based medical helicopter company emerged from a Chapter 11 restructuring that cut about $1.7 billion out of the $2.24 billion in debt it took into its October 2023 bankruptcy filing.
The business — with which UI Health Care has partnered for a decade — was struggling due to rising interest rates, increasing labor costs, and a national ban on “surprise” medical bills like those sent to patients unwittingly transported to out-of-network providers from those considered in-network by their insurance, according to Reuters.
UIHC patients have complained to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office about exorbitant bills — like one man’s $35,000 charge for a flight transport from Des Moines in 2014.
Air Methods — which started in 1980 in Denver and grew into the country’s largest air medical transport services provider, with more than 100,000 annual transports — has faced lawsuits alleging price gouging.
And when Air Methods filed for bankruptcy in October, it reported owing several Iowa-based hospitals millions in “unsecured claims.” It owed the University of Iowa $1.3 million; Mercy Medical Center $2.1 million; and UnityPoint Health $679,443, according to court records.
UIHC officials have not said how much, if any, of that claim it has been paid.
‘Right in their backyard’
The University of Iowa launched its AirCare enterprise in 1979 — making it the first hospital-based air ambulance in Iowa and the 11th nationally. It added a second helicopter in 1987 and moved it to Waterloo a year later — with AirCare II now stationed at Covenant Medical Center.
AirCare III debuted at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque in 2016, and the new base in Davenport is expected to open this fall, according to a UIHC news release.
“If you or a loved one are involved in a life-threatening accident or medical emergency, seconds matter,” Andrew Nugent, chair and departmental executive officer for UIHC’s Department of Emergency Medicine, said in a statement. “AirCare’s new helicopter base in Davenport means people living in the Quad Cities will now have the latest medical transport technology right in their backyard.
“Our teams’ expertise means patients receive swift and specialized care during transport, significantly improving chances of recovery and survival.”
The new base will host physicians, flight nurses, pilots, and other professionals and offer rapid transport for trauma victims, neonates, pediatric patients, and patients experiencing time-sensitive or complex medical conditions.
All flights are operated by Air Methods, according to the university. Location details are being finalized, according to the university release reporting, “The base is expected to be operational in the coming weeks.”
“The opening of a fourth AirCare base is a milestone in our mission to extend lifesaving care to high-risk patients facing time-sensitive and complex medical needs,” Nugent said. “We hope that the Quad Cities region is as excited for access to this patient care service as we are.”
The university’s AirCare operation already collaborates with 100 emergency medical services, fire, and law enforcement entities across Iowa and the region, and expanding to the Quad Cities “further supports UI Health Care’s long-term goals of supporting access to health care across the state.”
UIHC last week announced a $280 million acquisition of the 43-year-old Des Moines-based “Mission Cancer + Blood” — expanding its cancer care reach into central and western Iowa.
It also is increasing its physical footprint — with plans to open a new orthopedics-centered hospital and emergency room in North Liberty next year and build a new $1 billion inpatient tower on its main Iowa City campus.
UIHC also this year bought the former Mercy Iowa City community hospital for $28 million in a bankruptcy auction.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
UI expands Air Methods partnership, opening Quad Cities helicopter base
University of Iowa Health Care on Wednesday announced it is expanding
www.thegazette.com
