International Travel Emergency Protocol
While you are abroad, your first contact should always be the director of your overseas program, as instructed during your orientation.
Important Contacts
If you are traveling and/or in a situation where you are not able to reach that person, you should either call:
- During regular office hours (M-F 8:00am to 5:00pm EST): Emory College Education Abroad at 404-727-2240
- After hours: Emory's Police Department at 404-727-6111 (EPD will page an Emory College Study Abroad staff member for you)
- International SOS directly at 215-942-8478 (Please call collect if necessary). Membership number: 11BYSG000003
Neither Emory University nor its departments assumes any responsibility for personal items lost or stolen during Emory sponsored international travel. Individuals should contact their homeowner’s insurance provider to understand coverage policies while traveling internationally.
Medical Care and International Travel for Emory Faculty and Staff
If traveling outside the U.S., for Emory-sponsored travel, Emory provides resources that may assist you. In addition to your medical insurance under the Emory group medical plans, International SOS provides security, natural disaster and medical evacuation services, emotional support services, and emergency medical insurance among other benefits for personnel traveling on Emory business. International SOS assistance is also available for a spouse, life partner, or dependent child who accompanies you on Emory business travel.
Some of these International SOS services will require reimbursement or result in an additional charge. If you request a service that has an additional charge, International SOS will inform you in advance and will require a credit card to activate the service. International SOS will medically monitor and evaluate your condition and ongoing medical expenses during your hospitalization. After approval from Emory University, International SOS can arrange a guarantee of payment for medical fees and expenses. Emergency medical expenses incurred abroad will be covered.
Find More Information about International Travel
ISOS Assistance Includes:
- Emergency Evacuation
- Emergency medical insurance coverage
- Emotional support services
- Medically supervised repatriation
- Companion ticket
- Additional travel and accommodation arrangements after medical evacuation
- Repatriation of mortal remains
- Return home of minor children
- Medical monitoring
- Inpatient admission and identification of receiving physician
- Emergency and routine medical advice
While traveling on Emory business, you should carry the International SOS membership card with you at all times (it can be printed from the International SOS Emory web site), and you are encouraged to put the International SOS Assistance app on your phone.
In the event of an emergency or to utilize any of the International SOS medical or travel services, contact International SOS at +1 215.942.8226 or any of the other phone numbers listed on the card (International SOS will accept collect calls).
To ensure a prompt response when calling, you should be prepared to provide the following:
- Your name, location, age, gender, and nationality
- Your International SOS membership number: 11BYSG000003 (this is the Emory University membership number and is the same for all Emory travelers)
- The telephone number from which you are calling (in case you are disconnected)
- Your relationship to the Emory University students, faculty, or staff member (if you are not the student faculty or staff member experiencing the emergency)
- Name, location and telephone number of the hospital, clinical or treating doctor (when applicable)
| Emergency, Urgent, Acute Care | Routine and Non-urgent Care | |
|---|---|---|
| Patient is covered by an Emory medical plan | Contact Aetna's National Medical Excellence Unit immediately at 877.212.8811. Care is covered at the “in network” level of benefits. The employee is responsible for paying all medical expenses at the time they are incurred (except as noted below for business travel), as most international facilities and providers do not contract with Aetna for insurance payments. Claims must be filed with Aetna to seek reimbursement of covered expenses. For work-related travel or personal travel seven days prior or seven days following work-related travel, ISOS guarantees payment to the facility to secure treatment for the employee, spouse, dependent children, or life partner traveling with the employee, if approved by Emory. Note: The employee is still responsible for associated copayments or coinsurance for the benefits received, and claims must be filed to reimburse Emory for the guarantee payment made on the patient's behalf. Personal travel not associated with business travel is not covered by Emory’s contract with ISOS. Discounted individual ISOS may be purchased online or by calling 800.523.8662. | Routine/non-urgent care is generally covered at the “out-of-network” level. The employee is responsible for paying all medical expenses at the time they are incurred, as most international facilities and providers do not contract with Aetna for insurance payments. Claims must be filed with Aetna to seek reimbursement of covered expenses. ISOS does not provide payment guarantees for routine and non-urgent care. |
| Patient is not covered by an Emory medical plan | Contact your insurance carrier immediately to determine how payments should be handled. For work-related travel or personal travel seven days prior or seven days following work-related travel, ISOS guarantees payment to the facility to secure treatment for the employee, spouse, dependent children, or life partner traveling with the employee, if approved by Emory. Personal travel not associated with business travel is not covered by Emory’s contract with ISOS. Discounted individual ISOS may be purchased online or by calling 800.523.8662. | Contact your insurance carrier to determine how payments should be handled. ISOS does not provide payment guarantees for routine and non-urgent care. |
In all cases, if you are covered by Emory’s medical plan:
- It is important that you are familiar with the specifics of the medical plan that you are enrolled in prior to your trip departure, to understand your potential financial responsibility.
- It is your responsibility to file a claim with Aetna for your medical expenses, regardless of how the expenses were paid. Claim forms can be found at https://www.aetna.com/
- The completed claim form along with receipts and documentation of expense or related written materials should be submitted to Aetna within 30 days.
- Drug claims should be submitted to Express Scripts.
- All claims must be submitted within one year of the date of the expense to be considered for reimbursement. If filed after one year, claims will not be paid.
- Manual claims processing can take up to three weeks for non-US claims.
Upon your return from travel, Emory’s benefits department can assist with claims contact your benefits specialist at 404-727-7613.
If you are covered by the Kaiser Permanente medical plan:
- It is important that you are familiar with the specifics of the medical plan that you are enrolled in prior to your trip departure, to understand your potential financial responsibility.
- It is your responsibility to file a claim with Kaiser Permanente for your medical expenses, regardless of how the expenses were paid. Claim forms can be found via kp.org under the Coverage and Cost tab by selecting the option to submit a claim.
- All claims must be submitted within one year of the date of the expense to be considered for reimbursement. If filed after one year, claims will not be paid.
- Drug claims should be submitted to OptumRx using the available form along with the original pharmacy receipt. Credit card receipts are not considered proof of purchase. Reimbursement is not guaranteed and is subject to your plan’s limits, exclusions, and provisions.