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Meducare flies through lease changes  Meducare is still flying, but so are the rumors. And that's a cloud the crews and coordinators at MUSC’s medical transport system want to bank out of.   Ever since management of MUSC's helicopter service underwent a cost-cutting adjustment in early March, “We’ve been hearing that MUSC doesn’t have a helicopter service anymore. Some say we have two helicopters, and others have no idea what the status is,” said David Pilkenton, Meducare operations coordinator.   What Pilkenton and the others, housed in the complex of trailers next to two helicopter pads at the corner of Courtenay and Spring streets, want the rest of the campus to know is that nothing has changed. The service is the same. The people are the same. They still use the same helicopter with “MUSC” on it, though it might be replaced occasionally when it is out for maintenance.   And sometimes there may be a second helicopter next to it—an aircraft from another medical center transporting patients to MUSC.   But while all outward appearances remain the same, it’s the organization on paper that’s different, and more in line with what other medical center helicopter transport systems have adopted.   From the outset, OmniFlight Helicopters has leased its helicopter, pilots and maintenance personnel to MUSC, which supplied the medical flight crew. But on March 1, most of the medical flight crew were hired by Omni Transport Systems. Karen Driggers is now Omni Transport Systems regional director for clinical operations.    “This is the independent provider model that is starting to evolve across the country. It also allows the helicopter service to be available to other hospitals in the community as well,” she said.    Pilkenton added that the transfer of some of the operating expenses will result in a substantial cost-savings for the Medical Center. He said that MUSC and Omni are committed to providing the same high level of transport services that the community has known for years.   Unlike the adult team, the pediatric medical transport team remains under the aegis of the MUSC Hospital Authority. It's a decision Pilkenton says reflects both the specialized treatment required for the transport of newborns and children and the high volume of pediatric transports from areas in the state where even prenatal care is a rarity.   Driggers added that all Meducare personnel are actively involved in teaching at medical centers in Walterboro, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach and help where needed in the Children's Hospital and the pediatric emergency room.   Meducare, which began service in 1987, has evolved into a multi-dimensional transport program averaging more than 8,000 transports a year. The service provides rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport of patients to and from all parts of South Carolina, the Southeast and occasionally across country. In 1995, the pediatric team linked with the U.S. Air Force and transported an infant from Panama.   In addition to the communication specialists who provide dispatch services for Meducare and Life Reach in Columbia, Meducare is comprised of three transport teams. Omni Transport Systems/Meducare Air provides rotorwing transport of 1-year-old patients through adult from local and regional hospitals as well as accident scene locations. The Meducare pediatric team provides rotorwing, fixed wing and ground transport of neonatal and pediatric patients to and from referring institutions. The Meducare ground team provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) to and from local and regional institutions, provides on-campus 911 response and supports Charleston County EMS with on-call response.    Each team is also involved in community activities such as health fairs, advanced certification instruction, local school programs and many annual events such as the Cooper River Bridge Run and The Kiawah Marathon.    In addition to the three teams, there are four pilots, a full-time flight mechanic, and an administrative specialist and billing specialist.    In all, MUSC-Meducare is comprised of more than 70 professionals, dedicated to safe and timely transport of patients within our community, state and country.