Edward R. Boyer, P.E.
President / CEO
 Mercy Medical Airlift

The NPTC exists to facilitate patient access to appropriate charitable medical air transportation resources in the United States.  The NPTC also exists to develop, administer and consolidate airline patient ticket programs and to operate various Special-Lift and Child-Lift programs on behalf of special disease organizations and/or clinical research centers in the United States.  The NPTC also has the means for bringing ambulatory outpatients from many overseas locations to the United States.. 
The purpose of the National Patient Travel Center is ".....to ensure that no financially-needy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation." 

PROGRAMS AT THE NPTC (as of April 2002) 
1. National Patient Travel HELPLINE Program.  This program has been in continuous operation since 1991. More than 13,000 calls were received by this HELPLINE during 2001. After an initial screening of patient need and determination of a suitable means of travel, callers are referred to the most appropriate charitable medical air transportation program that can best meet their needs. This is a referral service and there is no cost for the information. This HELPLINE is available 24/7. A growing list of national medical and disease organizations utilize this HELPLINE to assist their constituency with charitable medical air transportation information and referral..

2. Special-Lift and Child-Lift Programs.  This special service provides for "single-point of contact" administration of patient air transportation programs for special disease organizations or clinical research centers. Persons concerned with travel assistance and arrangements for a diverse patient population needing to travel to special clinical trials or other treatment programs should investigate this source of program assistance. Phone number is 1-888-675-1405.

3. Airline Tickets for Patients/Escorts. The National Patient Travel Center is the only single source in the nation for full information on all available charitable or deep-discount airline ticket programs for patients and patient escorts. Referral for patients to the best program to meet their needs is accomplished through the National Patient Travel HELPLINE in paragraph (1) above. An increasing number of these programs are being administered in the Center on behalf of various airlines. Ambulatory patient travel in excess of 1,000 miles necessitates the use of airline resources. Special circumstances can make use of these programs for even shorter distances advisable. Mercy Medical Airlift personnel are highly experienced in these diverse and often changing airline patient ticket programs. The programs administered by the CENTER can be reached at 1-800-325-8908, Initial contact for referral should be through the National Patient Travel HELPLINE on 1-800-296-1217.

4. Charitable Aviation Program Management. The National Patient Travel Center serves in an association numerous national and state level charitable medical air transportation programs thus providing maximum efficiency and minimum costs. 

All of Mercy Medical Airlift's programs are operated in a very cost-effective manner with approximately 92% of all expenditures being for program purposes. Please direct any inquiries regarding MMA services in support of the nationwide cause of charitable medical air transportation to management staff at 1-757-318-9174.