What is IFT?

[hurt88]

I see all kinds of threads with people talking about IFT's and working for an IFT company or something along those lines and I have absolutely no clue what you guys are talking about. What exactly does it mean?:blush:

 

[Aprz]

Interfacility transport. The company transport patients from one facility to another, usually planned and non-emergent.

 

[MusicMedic]

Interfacility transport. The company transport patients from one facility to another, usually planned and non-emergent.

AKA-Taxi cab for the sick

 

[SanDiegoEmt7]

IFT can range anywhere from dialysis and doctor appointments to code 3 transports of stroke and trauma patients (from basic EDs/clinics to trauma/stroke centers)

But generally, Musicmedic is correct. You will get to know the dialysis chair and your local nursing homes very, very well.

 

[hurt88]

Thanks everyone...I look every where to find out what it meant but couldn't find it anywhere. Whats the differences from IFT vs. say a private ambulance service as in hours, pay wise, is it generally for basics? or are they basically the same thing.

 

[TransportJockey]

In some places IFT and private are the same thing. In some places you might have one private service who does IFTs and another private service that does 911. You'll see a lot of the CA guys just say private and what they really mean is IFT companies.
And hours and pay can vary by city, by state, or by region

 

[46Young]

In some places IFT and private are the same thing. In some places you might have one private service who does IFTs and another private service that does 911. You'll see a lot of the CA guys just say private and what they really mean is IFT companies.
And hours and pay can vary by city, by state, or by region

To expand on that, any type of service can do any type of EMS delivery; it varies from place to place. My old hospital did both 911 and IFT, depending on what shift you worked. There was no mixing. Other places can pull their IFT rigs to do a 911 job and vice versa. Same for the privates. Municipal third service EMS and fire based EMS alike do 911 exclusively for the most part, but some may do some IFT. My county handles ED to ED (or L&D) txp's if there are no privates to handle the call. We'll usually get a nurse to accompany us, since it's hit or miss if they're getting a medic that's done IFT in the past and knows how to use the pumps, and everything else that entails an IFT.

Edit: Nine times out of ten, though, when someone says "the privates," they mean IFT, typically non emergent.