Re: Handheld GPS

["Charles Freeman" <charles.a.freeman@verizon.net>]

Make sure that your flight program seeks competent legal counsel and
investigates this option thoroughly before instituting such a system. When I
researched this a few years ago with HCFA I found they take a dim view of
the idea. HCFA guidelines do not allow you to bill for arbritrary amounts
for each flight. If you bill them for ten transports from hospital A to
hospital B in a month, then those ten flights better have the same mileage
fee. Otherwise, best case your claim will be denied, and worst case you may
be subjecting yourself to the possibility of a fraud investigation.

At the very least you will be required to maintain extensive documentation
of WHY you did not fly the straight-line distance between two points, since
that is what helicopters do in most places. Valid reasons might be
restricted airspace, one of the post 9.11 TFRs, hurricane Andrew, or the
like. Simply writing down "my pilot went that way", which is basically what
a GPS track does, is probably not sufficient.

I'm not presenting a legal opinion on the matter, just pointing out that you
would be well advised to seek one before taking such a step. Most of the
flight programs I deal with don't consider the extra hassle and risk worth
the somewhat meager returns, and most billing companies discourage the idea.

Charlie Freeman
Innovative Engineering


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