We caught up with our Senior Customer Success Manager, Viktoriya Gopfauf, who attended ITIC Americas in Miami, to hear her key takeaways from the conference.

What were your expectations going into ITIC? And how did reality compare?

We came with a clear goal: to better understand the medical travel insurance industry in the US. With over 350 people participants – it’s truly the place to connect to people within the industry. Having attended previous ITIC conferences in Vienna, Madrid, and Athens, I’m always struck by the industry’s family-like atmosphere. It’s an excellent opportunity to network and understand new trends and challenges in the air ambulance and medical air transport space.

What main topics or trends stood out at this year’s conference?

The most significant trend I noticed was that people want to streamline their operations using software solutions. There’s an actual demand for a more streamlined workflow. For example, many medical assistant companies expressed that getting a high-level overview of missions across multiple offices is difficult. They need one centralized tool for a global overview, precisely what we’re providing – one system with complete visibility that increases efficiency.

What did you enjoy most about attending the conference and connecting with others in the travel health insurance industry?

We have been in the air ambulance space for over two years, but we keep learning. By connecting with existing and new members, we can better understand their challenges, such as the struggle to book and sell empty legs without specific tools. Also, we have seen many air ambulance operators and medical assistance companies look to decrease costs and reduce inefficiencies caused by manual processes. This is where we come in; our flexible search options for empty-leg flights and pooling help address these needs. The positive feedback we receive when demonstrating these solutions validates our product, which is also why I find these industry events so valuable.

What has the feedback been on the Avinode Air Ambulance Platform?

We can see that we are filling a gap. People liked what they saw – which is a more streamlined way to work. Our platform helps make sure that air ambulance operators can sell their empty legs, unlocking additional revenue streams while streamlining manual processes.

The feedback from both air ambulance operators and medical assistance companies was positive. They particularly appreciated our GDPR compliance and data security features. Securely managing patient information is a major concern, and our secure and trusted platform is built for privacy and data security to ensure all patient information is protected.

Another aspect that received positive feedback was our vetting process. Many organizations, especially the heads of air medical and provider networks, are concerned about vetting providers, notably smaller Medical Assistance companies. The KYB process and AOC certification requirements ensure we maintain Avinode as a trusted, reliable network for air ambulance industry professionals.

Where can people meet you next?

We’ll be at the IAG Forum and Medical Academy in Madrid and the ITIC regional in the UK. You can also connect with me through email, book an online meeting, or LinkedIn.