subject: Medical Transport - Patient Transfer Toronto Service [print this page] Changes are happening fast regarding patient medical transfers in Toronto. Medical transportation in Toronto is available by many private companies. They are sometimes referred to as private ambulances. They provide non-emergency or non-urgent services that transport patients between medical locations and their residence. This includes transportation to and from hospitals, doctor's offices, dialysis centres, cancer centres, nursing homes, and private homes. This demand is a growing as the population ages and requires tranfers. It is estimated that there is over half a million transfers a year in Ontario. In the past, Emergency Medical Service (EMS), managed by the Ontario health system would handle all transfer needs.
This is changing fast, with most hospital corporations choosing the cost effective alternative to contract out all "non-urgent" transportation to these private companies. The reason for this is because of the increase in transfers do to demand, causing a strain on resources for critical use or emergencies. The difference of using the EMS or a private patient transfer company for non urgent transfers is significant if any medical problems arise. Most of the people that use a private Ontario patient transfer Toronto company are the elderly. The EMS is staffed by qualified paramedics with vehicles fully equipped prepared for most emergencies. The private Ontario patient transfer Toronto companies on the other hand use reconditioned ambulances with staff whose minimum qualifications are a first aid course. The largest concern is that there currently is no Ontario government agency that regulates patient safety for these private companies.
Some of these companies state that they are "self regulated". This statement sounds good but thinks about it. All it is saying is, trust me we are looking after you without any government safety criteria. It seems that all forms of governments regulate so much of our life, but they don't include patient transfer service. The hospitals are content, their budgets just got a lot easier to manage. The EMS administrators are content, their resources are not spread too thin, allowing critical use or emergencies only. What about the patient? They are none the wiser that is unless there are any problems. In future remember there is a difference with both services and what your options are. There are some companies that have high standards, but who do you use? One option that we found was at Ontariopatienttransfer.ca. It is a network of reputable companies in this industry that checks for feedback from patients
