National Patient Travel HELPLINE Program. This program has been in continuous operation since 1991. More than 14,000 calls were received by this HELPLINE last year. 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.

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.

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. NPTC personnel are highly experienced in these diverse and often changing airline patient ticket programs. Initial contact for referral should be through the National Patient Travel HELPLINE.

Volunteer Pilot Organizations. Volunteer pilots are available to patients and an escort needing transportation for medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment. Patients must be ambulatory, which means they must be able to walk, enter and exit the plane with little or no assistance, and require no medical care (i.e., doctor or nurse) en route. There must be a financial or compelling need for the flight. Volunteer pilot organizations can only assist when the destination is within 1,000 miles.

Air Ambulance Coordination. Air ambulance assistance services are available to act as an advocate to help locate and coordinate bed-to-bed air ambulance services and/or medically assisted commercial travel. Our purpose is to help patients and families through a difficult health crisis through compassionate counseling and working to lower air ambulance and medically assisted travel costs. We assist healthcare workers around the country by providing multiple resource options and education throughout the process.

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


All of NPTC programs are operated in a very cost-effective manner with approximately 96% of all expenditures being for program purposes. Please direct any inquiries regarding NPTC services in support of the nationwide cause of charitable medical air transportation to management staff at 757-512-5287.