LifeFlight Eagle is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Why does that make a difference?
Simply put, it’s our long-term commitment to serving the community. We were founded right here in Kansas City more than 40 years ago. This is our home. We take seriously the trust this region places in us to safely care for patients at their most vulnerable times. It’s the driving force behind everything we do.
Many air-medical programs (even some branded as part of a university system) are actually operated to benefit multi-billion-dollar conglomerates that are out-of-state and owned by private equity investors. They’re notorious for opening and closing bases while chasing profits. In fact, more than 40 bases were shut down in the past 12 months by these companies and re-opened in a different location. Ultimately, their commitment is to investors, not to the local community.
As a non-profit, LifeFlight Eagle focuses on long-term sustainability, meeting the current and future needs of our region, and continually innovating in pursuit of great outcomes for patients on their darkest days.
It’s why we’re expanding our ground critical-care transport program, which allows our highly trained medical teams to provide critically ill and injured patients with intensive care during hospital-to-hospital transfers, even when we’re unable to fly because of inclement weather.
It’s why we’re significantly expanding our outreach education program that provides thousands of hours of training and education for emergency personnel each year, helping them retain licenses and certifications, learn new skills, and take even better care of the citizens in their communities.
We couldn’t do this without the help of our members and our donors.
Providing critical-care transport is expensive. We have multi-million-dollar helicopters and a highly trained staff on duty at each of our bases 24/7. To cover expenses, we rely on revenue from patient transports (the vast majority of which comes from insurance reimbursement), as well as our membership program and private donations.
For years, we have been committed to minimizing the out-of-pocket expense our patients might owe for LifeFlight Eagle transport. Nearly 20 years ago we became in-network with the region’s largest health insurer, and we have become in-network with others since. In 2008, we launched our membership program because of our concern for patients’ out-of-pocket cost for uncovered portions of their transport. Surprise billing for LifeFlight Eagle transport is not an issue our members face.
We’ve seen for-profit competitors come and leave Kansas City during the past 25 years. LifeFlight Eagle isn’t going anywhere. We’re local. We’re here to stay. And we’re here for you.
