Air Methods CEO Aaron Todd said the company posted a “good, strong profitable year” in 2009 thanks to a partial rebound in flight hours and lower operating expenses for maintenance and fuel. The market for the nation’s largest helicopter EMS provider improved after a marked decline during 2008 and the first half of 2009 that saw flight hours drop by 10 percent due mainly to the weakened overall economy and, to a lesser degree, changes in patient transport protocols.
“The entire economy was impacting the [fewer] number of trauma events and even the number of babies being born, and that included low-weight births that were occurring,” he said. “And 2008 was a horrific year for safety and that engendered some debate on the appropriate use [of helicopter EMS]. Certainly the cost of these services is not inexpensive. You have to keep pace with inflation and facilitate all the patients you transport for free. All of those things have caused a constant
re-evaluation so that you ensure that only patients who have a medical necessity to utilize the higher capability and talent of air medical [are transported]. Since last April we have seen a two to three percent recovery, maybe a quarter of what was lost” in terms of flight hours.
