Life Flight Network - Portland Oregon helicopter and fixed wing medical transport service

Membership Frequently Asked Questions


Who is Life Flight Network?

Life Flight Network is a medical transport service provided by a consortium of Legacy Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health & Services, and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. All are dedicated to improving patient outcomes by providing helicopter, fixed-wing, and ground ambulance support to seriously ill or injured patients in a safe and timely manner. Life Flight Network was named Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) in 2009.

What services does Life Flight Network provide?

Life Flight Network exists to fulfill a vital role – saving lives.  With its unique combination of air and ground ambulances and highly skilled personnel, Life Flight Network represents an integral part of local emergency medical systems.  Life Flight Network provides critical care transport to seriously ill or injured patients from the scene of an emergency or from one hospital to another. These are the patients who need the highest level of care and the fastest transport possible.

Our staff consist of highly-trained critical care nurses, paramedics, pilots, and communication specialists, and are among the finest in the nation.  On a moment’s notice, we can respond in a helicopter, airplane, or ambulance to provide life-saving treatment and transport to adult and pediatric patients.  Within minutes of a call, a Life Flight Network communication specialist sets in motion a coordinated emergency response network between the pre-hospital field support teams, specialized ground transportation teams, and the medical facilities.

What is the Life Flight Network service area?

Life Flight Network bases are strategically placed throughout the Northwest, including Oregon, Washington and Idaho to provide maximum coverage of the communities.  Life Flight Network also operates fixed-wing aircraft that can transport a patient throughout the nation. Bases are staffed and available for immediate response seven days per week.  Helicopters are generally airborne within minutes of a request.  Airplanes can generally be airborne within 30 minutes.  Availability of service cannot be guaranteed due to weather conditions or commitment to another transport.

Why should I become a Member?

Northwest families live, work and play in our vast coastal areas, open spaces, scenic mountain passes, and rivers, and enjoy all the recreational wonders the Northwest has to offer.  This often remote environment can place residents and visitors at risk when they need immediate and specific medical attention, whether it is a pediatric medical emergency, heart attack, stroke or accident.  Life Flight Network can quickly dispatch a specialized emergency health care team to an accident or medical emergency to provide critical care life support and accompany the patient on a swift flight to a medically appropriate facility.  Patients transported are flown to the closest appropriate hospital staffed and equipped to handle their specialized medical needs or as directed from a physician.  

What are the benefits of Membership?

Depending upon the distance, air medical transport and patient care, charges can quickly exceed $10,000.  If you or a covered family member are flown by Life Flight Network or one of its reciprocal partners under a medically necessary emergency air transport, Life Flight Network will accept an insurance settlement (if any) as payment in full, and you will have no out-of-pocket expenses.   We bill your insurance company directly for the medical transport, so you will not pay any deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses beyond your membership fee.

Who are your reciprocal partners?

If traveling outside of the Life Flight Network service area, we have agreements with other air ambulance companies in the Northwest. Whether in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Northern Nevada, or Northern California, you may be covered if transported by a reciprocal provider, subject to the reciprocating program’s membership rules.   Related ground transport is not covered unless in a Life Flight Network ambulance.  Our current reciprocal partners include:

Airlift Northwest
Airlink
Air St. Luke’s
CalStar
Care Flight Reno
Enloe Flight Care
Northwest Medstar
Wyoming Life Flight