Helicopter Shopping is the practice of calling, in sequence, several air medical providers until one will accept the mission. There have been incidents where helicopter shopping has resulted in fatal accidents. Prevention starts with hospital and pre-hospital personnel who can help minimize risk of an adverse event caused by helicopter shopping.
     (c) 2008. This presentation is the product of a direct request from the FAA to the air medical community to address the issues of helicopter shopping by hospital, EMS, and dispatch personnel. A multidisciplinary committee was assembled to develop and produce this presentation with the assistance of a Foundation of Air Medical Research (a Vision Zero initiative) education grant.

• Introduction to air medical transport and HEMS accidents
   
• How the practice of Helicopter Shopping can play a role in HEMS accidents
   
• How a HEMS request is received and processed, and the decisions that go into deciding whether it is safe to accept the request and respond, particularly if another air medical program has turned down a request due to weather

• NTSB report of a helicopter shopping accident in Newberry, South Carolina, on July 13, 2004
   
• Prevention starts with hospital and pre-hospital personnel who can help to minimize risk of an adverse event caused by helicopter shopping.
   
  • Ensure that the patient meets established and published criteria for air medical transport
     
  • Notify any subsequent air medical services contacted if you have already contacted another HEMS provider and they could not respond due to weather
     
  • Have ground transport contingency plans in place so there are no delays for the patient while trying to arrange alternative air transport