Following a two-car crash east of Hemet Monday evening, May 8, a patient was airlifted by Mercy Air to Riverside University Health Services Medical Center for treatment.

Rep Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, a former emergency room and emergency flight doctor, wants to ensure that such services continue to be offered.

He visited Mercy Air personnel at Hemet Fire Station 4 on Tuesday, May 9, and promoted the benefits of aeromedical care. The station is adjacent to Hemet Ryan Airport, from where Mercy Air flies.

RELATED ARTICLE: Medical emergency helicopter now based in Hemet

“This is a very pragmatic need that many people throughout the United States require,” Ruiz said.

The tour comes as air ambulance companies, which are private businesses, say they are not getting reimbursed enough to cover their costs.

Carolyn Mayle, vice president of government affairs for Air Methods, Mercy Air’s parent company, said eight out of 10 patients are on Medicare or Medicaid. She said the average flight costs $11,000 and reimbursement is about $6,000 from Medicare and $3,000 for Medicaid.

That doesn’t cover the costs of around to clock personnel and equipment and puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the medical providers to help make up the costs, she said.

“Fixing Medicare reimbursement is a huge step in the right direction,” she said.

There is just one trauma center in Ruiz’ district, which covers the San Jacinto and Coachella valleys and San Gorgonio Pass. Ruiz said the service is especially important in areas where patients are far away from trauma centers and hospitals may not offer certain specialties.

“We know in emergency care, seconds matter,” Ruiz said.

Trauma centers in Riverside County are at Riverside Community Hospital, Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley, Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar and Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. And there is no Pediatric Intensive Care Unit east of Moreno Valley.

Centers in San Bernardino County are at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton and Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Besides responding to emergency situations, Mercy Air also is called upon to move patients from one hospital to another for advanced care.

Mercy Air has five bases in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and covers all of Southern California. Another air ambulance company, REACH Air Medical Services, recently added French Valley Airport as one of its operational bases.

RELATED ARTICLE: French Valley Airport’s location helps it land REACH Air Medical Services

Ruiz said that while the cost of air transportation is expensive, it is cheaper than a lifetime of care for a patient who doesn’t receive immediate treatment.

“With aeromedical transportation, you get patients to a facility faster,” he said. “You actually save a lot of cost over the life of a patient.”

Aeromedical is part of the larger healthcare debate in the country and Ruiz said he is working on a bipartisan plan to understand the cost savings of aeromedical services. As one of 15 physicians in Congress, Ruiz said he brings a perspective that many of his colleagues don’t have.

“I’m able to really speak the truth about the patient’s experience, which is missing in the ivory tower of (Washington,) DC,” he said.