If you need more medical care than can be found on board, does Royal know which hospitals to go to?

[Levi is good]

As the official planner and irrational-over-worrier for my family unit, I'm concerned about any potential problem.  Just looking for info so I can be an informed traveler, I guess I've never pondered it before.  What if there is a medical issue in port, or something larger than can be dealt with on board?  Do they know which hospitals to take people to?  Do they get you to someone else who is, perhaps, a medical representative for that port?  For a random example, in Naples.  Is there a certain hospital to go to?  To avoid?  Does Royal help with translating or are we on our own?  

 

We are fully covered with excellent travel insurance including medical, and a pre-existing condition waiver as well.  We also have medical insurance that will reimburse for problems we may have abroad, though we'd have to pay upfront and submit bills.  We are all in good health.  But what if out of the blue something happens that's serious?    Life is unpredictable, and I would have ZERO idea where to go in any of my ports.  

 

Any information is appreciated, thank you.  We are from the US, traveling to Spain/France/Italy.

[twangster]

In the US in an emergency scenario which hospital you go to is often determined by ambulance service and they won't nessecarly take into account the concept of in network.  One hospital may be dealing with a surge in trauma care so they might defer an ambulance to another hospital. 

In a medical evacuation from a ship which is also an emergency scenario I'm thinking a similar outcome will occur.   Royal will do their best to get you in into the hands of someone, coast guard or an ambulance on a pier, but Royal won't likely direct the ambulance service to a particular hospital, that's likely determined by the ambulance service, based on the nature of the emergency,  travel time, emergency services available at that hour, etc.  

[Levi is good]

20 minutes ago, twangster said:

In the US in an emergency scenario which hospital you go to is often determined by ambulance service and they won't nessecarly take into account the concept of in network.  One hospital may be dealing with a surge in trauma care so they might defer an ambulance to another hospital. 

In a medical evacuation from a ship which is also an emergency scenario I'm thinking a similar outcome will occur.   Royal will do their best to get you in into the hands of someone, coast guard or an ambulance on a pier, but Royal won't likely direct the ambulance service to a particular hospital, that's likely determined by the ambulance service, based on the nature of the emergency,  travel time, emergency services available at that hour, etc.  

Thank you twangster.  That makes sense.  

[teddy]

We have an annual plan with Allianz, and as part of that plan, there is a 24 hour hotline.  One of the stated things the hotline can do is help find a doctor or medical facility if needed.  I'm taking a wag here that most, if not all travel insurance plans include something like this.

As twangster said, the ambulance/first responders will take you to the place where you can get life saving care the quickest.  Once there, your travel insurance can be contacted by you or someone else in your party to find out what your options are.

[Ditchdoc]

Royal does not have to know. There are many variables including what kind of issue you are having, severity, weather, distance, time and so on. That decision rests with medical professionals, and maybe weather. First in line is the ships doctor who decides if you are dead or alive. If you are alive, where do you need to go and how soon. If your situation is urgent and life threatening, and you are at sea, A helicopter is your fried. Now more medical professionals will decide what is the appropriate facility. It maybe the appropriate facility is just a place to stabilize you until you can get to specialized facility. So you see, Royal basically calls 911, the rest is in the hands of medical professionals.

[smokeybandit]

I'm sure RC has an internal plan of where to divert to depending on where they are at the time.

[Ditchdoc]

I have see a helicopter evacuation and been on board when a non scheduled stop was made to transfer a patient. Just depends on how critical the situation is, how close to port, etc.

[Starrynight0154]

In the U.S. patients are taken to the closest appropriate hospital based on protocols setup by medical directors. There’s 3 levels of trauma centers, with level 1 being the highest acuity. Level 1 has trauma surgeons, and other speciality services onsite 24/7. If you have a heart attack you’d need a hospital with a cath lab, if you have a blood clot you’d need a hospital with vascular ultrasound, etc. Other countries probably have a similar setup. Major cities like Naples most likely have designated hospitals that offer all those speciality services for life threatening conditions, and a patient may have to go there if they want medical treatment, regardless of its reputation.

[Linda R]

On 5/4/2023 at 10:41 AM, Ditchdoc said:

I have see a helicopter evacuation and been on board when a non scheduled stop was made to transfer a patient. Just depends on how critical the situation is, how close to port, etc.

I got off Odyssey last Saturday.   It was a transatlantic cruise.  There was a medical emergency in middle of ocean.  They changed course so be closer to land for the helicopter to come.  Got some great pictures of the helicopter hovering.   Do not know what the medical issue was, and I hope they were ok.

[WesKinetic]

Generally speaking, Royal Caribbean is not responsible for decisions about patient treatment once you're off the ship. I was on Mariner last week and we actually had to divert to Ft. Lauderdale twice for medical reasons. We never actually docked but rather a Coast Guard ship pulled along side so the passenger could be offloaded and taken to shore. From there, transport would be decided based on whatever protocols the Coast Guard and local officials might have. Royal doesn't have any say or responsibility for a patient's medical care once they're off the ship. 

[Cello56]

I had to be off loaded shortly after our ship left a port stop in Puerto Rico. The doctors on board discussed my situation with the RCI medical staff in Miami and they decided that the ship would turn around and have me taken by ambulance to a local hospital. I am not aware of any discussion as to 'which' hospital I would go to and the ambulance took me to the closest one I assume. I must say that the medical care I received on board the ship (Jewel of the Seas) was far and away BETTER than what I got in the local hospital. On ship there were two board certified physicians and two nurses taking care of me.