Effective April 2, use the flight information form for non-emergency air ambulance authorization requests
As a reminder, effective for dates of service on or after April 2, 2018, all non-emergency air ambulance transports for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan PPO (commercial) and Blue Care Network HMOSM (commercial) members require authorization.
Requests to authorize non-emergency flights must be submitted to and approved by Alacura Medical Transportation Management, LLC, prior to the flight. This requirement applies to both in-state and out-of-state air ambulance transports.
Emergency flights – when the patient cannot safely wait six hours to take off – do not require authorization. This includes situations that involve delays due to weather or stabilizing the patient. When it's an emergency, just transport the patient.
How to request an authorization for non-emergency flights
To contact Alacura about authorizing a non-emergency flight request, do the following:
- Complete the Air ambulance flight information (non-emergency) form and fax it, along with clinical documentation in support of the request, to Alacura at 1-844-608-3572.
- Call Alacura at 1-844-608-3676 to obtain an authorization number.
Additional information
You'll find additional information about air ambulance requirements on page 2 of the Air ambulance flight information (non-emergency) form and in upcoming issues of The Record and BCN Provider News. The Blue Cross and BCN provider manuals are also being updated.
The following articles were published in past newsletter issues:
- The article titled Starting April 2, 2018, non-emergency air ambulance services require authorization for commercial members in the March 2018 issue of The Record
- The article titled Non-emergency air ambulance services require authorization starting April 2, 2018, for commercial members on page 41 of the March-April 2018 issue of BCN Provider News
Posted: March 2018
Lines of business: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network