Location: At sea; South Africa
Case Summary: A US crewmember presented onboard with symptoms of angina and the captain began to prepare for deviation to the nearest port. The shipowner contacted Future Care, who immediately assigned a Physician Advisor to provide remote diagnosis and assistance. The Physician Advisor made contact with the ship and crewman and after a thorough review of the crewman’s symptoms and subjective impressions, concluded that interim treatment could be provided onboard and that it was not necessary to deviate the ship.
Future Care’s Physician Advisor provided onboard tele-medical advice for several days until arrival in Durban, South Africa. Upon arrival to Durban, the receiving physician indicated the need for a cardiac angiogram. The crewmember wished to return to the US for further care. Future Care’s Physician Advisor cleared the crewmember for travel and an angiogram was scheduled and performed in the US. A Future Care case manager was assigned to manage the subsequent treatment and convalescence.
Estimated Savings through Future Care Intervention: The ship avoided the extreme expense and delay of deviation or medical evacuation, likely saving $75,000 or more.
