About Us
EagleMed is a privately owned and operated critical care transport service that has been in business since the transport of our first patient on September 1, 1981. We offer services to the entire state of Kansas with six Beechcraft King Air fixed wing aircraft and twelve Eurocopter A-Star AS350 rotor wing aircraft EagleMed has bases in Hays, Chanute, Dodge City, Garden City, Goodland, Pittsburg and Wichita, Kansas, Ardmore, Hugo, Oklahoma City, Stillwater, and Tahlequah Oklahoma, Joplin, Missouri.
EagleMed is proud to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS) since the year 2000. CAMTS is a voluntary process that verifies adherence to standards that are dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and safety of the transport environment for services providing rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport systems.
All aircraft are completely configured for mission critical transports. We are equipped with heart monitors that have the capabilities for monitoring standard heart tracings as well as 12-Lead diagnosing biphasic defibrillation, pacing, ETCO2, and pulse oximetry. Other transport equipment includes: transport ventilators, 3 channel infusion pumps and a medical loading system. This equipment truly makes EagleMed a "Flying ICU".
Our medical personnel are trained in ACLS, BLS, PHTLS, PALS, TNATC, NRP and other hospital operating room rotations to stay current and confident to perform RSI which is standard. Our crews consists of one RN and one Paramedic or two RN's on some flights plus one highly trained and qualified pilot.
EagleMed is currently licensed in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.
EagleMed has an excellent safety record for 30 years and received the AAMS 2000 safety award. Our fleet consist of six prop-jet King Air's and eleven Eurocopter A-Star AS350's that are privately owned by our company.
EagleMed has developed one of the most advanced emergency air ambulance flight communications center in the United States. Our advanced communications center is located at our corporate office. Communications Specialists have received specialized training and are NAACS certified. Service provided 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
History
EagleMed is a division of Ballard Aviation, Inc., both owned and operated by Jimmy E. Ballard.
Ballard Aviation Inc. has been in business since 1977, flying executive and on demand charter in the Wichita, Kansas area. We are FAA, part 135 certified with equipment ranging from Twin Engine Beech King Airs, to helicopters.
As Ballard Aviation Inc. grew larger, more and more requests were coming in from hospitals and patients for air ambulance transfers. As a result EagleMed was formed to accommodate this growing need in 1982. A Medical Director was added to insure high medical standards were maintained.
EagleMed was the first Type 1 licensed Air Ambulance in the state of Kansas. The state of Kansas and EagleMed revised the air ambulance regulations. We are approved by the Kansas Emergency Medical Board and are licensed in the state of Kansas. EagleMed renews their Type V Air Ambulance license annually, and has for the last 20 years of operation. This service is in compliance with all applicable F.A.R. Part 135 requirements and provides advanced life support capabilities as described in K.S.A. 1984 Supp 65-4306. All patient transports are reviewed and approved by our Medical Director, an aeromedical physician as defined in K.A.R. 109-1—1-(d). Our Quality Director review all medical charts to ensure we are following protocols and getting off the ground in a timely manner.
We maintain a “hand-picked” staff of certified M.D.’s, R.N.’s, and paramedics, certified in ACLS, PHTLS, PALS, and specialized training in aeromedical care. This staff remains current on all skills due to continuous work both in the field and in the hospital.
We have an Education Manager plus two more full time nurse/paramedics who train our medical staff and ensures they are current on all licensures and additional training. We also have forty instructors who teach part time. They oversee education needs for the communities we serve as we offer ACLS, PHTLS, PALS, Airway Control and we have a Human Patient Simulator and much more.
Ballard Aviation, Inc. and EagleMed has the most professional and experienced IFR rated pilots in the country with thousands of hours flight time. Our safety record is excellent with only one accident in over 30 years.
Our first hospital contract was signed March 1982, with the Wichita Veteran’s Administration Hospital to fly our transfer patients to Topeka, and Kansas City.
A second contract was signed September 1, 1985, with St. Joseph Medical Center to cover their neonatal air medical transports.
The third hospital contract was signed September 1, 1986, with the state of Kansas for Kansas University Medical Center. This contract involved a Beech King Air and pilot crew being in Great Bend, Kansas. The length of the contract as for three years and expired September 1, 1989.
Our fourth contract was signed May 1, 1994 with Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas. This contract was up on May 1,1995, at which time Hays Medical Center granted an additional three-year contract because of our excellent service. The King Air was later replaced with a helicopter due to their new heart program.
May, 1997 our name was changed from Kansas Air Life to EagleMed (name change occurred due to Air Methods had already trademarked the name Air Life and since we were flying into Colorado more there was confusion over the companies.
June, 1997, a King Air was placed in Garden City, KS.
A contract was signed on March 20, 1998, with Via Christi to provide helicopter transports beginning June 1,1998.
Ballard Aviation Inc. and EagleMed are both financially solvent companies.
In 2001 EagleMed was able to convince Wesley Medical Center to allow us to take over their flights. This allowed us to become the exclusive vendor for both Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center.
In 2001 EagleMed took over the Wesley Medical Center base in Dodge City, Kansas.
In 2002 EagleMed placed a helicopter in Hays, KS moved the fixed wing to Goodland, KS and started a new base there. EagleMed also added a rotowing operation in Ponca City, OK.
In 2003 bases were set up in Tahlequah, OK, Chanute, KS and Joplin, MO. Also, the Ponca City, OK helicopter was moved to Perry, OK so it would be in a more neutral location.
In 2003 a membership program was established for area residents at the request of the Tahlequah City Hospital which allowed who purchased memberships to have no co-pay if they flew on an EagleMed aircraft.
In May, 2004, we placed a helicopter in Salina, KS.
March 1, 2005, we placed a helicopter in Ardmore, OK furnishing pilots, mechanics and helicopter and SOAS furnished the medical crew and business direction.
In April, 2005, we placed a new helicopter in Rogers/Bentonville, Arkansas.
December 1, 2005, EagleMed took over operational control of the Ardmore, OK base.
April 1, 2006, EagleMed placed a helicopter in Hugo, Oklahoma.
In January, 2006 both Wesley Medical Center and Via Christi signed preferred provider contracts with EagleMed.
In October, 2006 St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, KS signed an exclusive provider agreement with EagleMed. We also have contracts with Tahlequah City Hospital and Freeman Hospital in Joplin, MO.
In March, 2007 the Salina, KS base was moved to Russellville, AR since the Wichita and Hays, KS helicopters could easily cover the Salina, KS area.
In October, 2007 Russellville, AR was moved to Pittsburg, KS.
In April, 2008 a helicopter was placed in Guymon, OK. The Perry, OK helicopter was moved to Stillwater, OK to help support their heart program. A building was built on the Stillwater Airport for crew quarters.
In October, 2008 EagleMed was awarded the Exclusive Provider Agreement to provide air medical transports for all eleven INTEGRIS hospitals throughout the State of Oklahoma.
A fixed wing aircraft was placed at Sundance Airport in Oklahoma City, OK and on January 12, 2009 and a rotor wing was placed on the pad at INTEGRIS on 2-2-09. An open house
was held by INTEGRIS on 2-18-09.
Ballard Aviation/EagleMed has won one of the top 20 “Best in Business” Awards for Wichita and surrounding areas for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2007 EagleMed won top five Best in Business for the Wichita and surrounding area.
EagleMed is a member of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), and committed to their goal of safety and standards in air medical transport. EagleMed has been CAMTS accredited since 2000.
