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:
- Emory College Study Abroad at 404.727.2240 during regular office hours (M-F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET):
- Emory’s Police Department at 404.727.6111 after hours (EPD will page an Emory College Study Abroad staff member for you)
- International SOS directly at 215.942.8478 (Please call collect if necessary.)
- Worldwide Assistance Services (connected to Emory College Study Abroad health insurance) at 800.243.6124
Neither Emory College Study Abroad nor Emory assumes any responsibility for personal items lost or stolen during the course of a study abroad program. 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 you travel outside the United States, either for business or personal reasons, Emory provides resources that may assist you.
In addition to your medical insurance under the Emory group medical plans, International SOS provides assistance with obtaining medical care when you are traveling on Emory business. ISOS assistance is also available for a spouse, life partner, or dependent child who accompanies you on Emory business travel. Some of these 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. In most instances, medical expenses incurred abroad will have to be paid out of pocket and reimbursement sought later from your insurance carrier.
Find More Information about International Travel
ISOS Assistance Includes:
- Emergency evacuation
- 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
- Pre-trip information on travel health issues (Country Guides) Medical and dental referrals
- Outpatient referrals
- Outpatient case management
- Claims assistance
- Outpatient medical expense guarantee and payment
- Inpatient medical expense guarantee, cost review and payment
- Dispatch of medication and medical supplies
While traveling on Emory business, you should carry the International SOS membership card with you at all times (it can be printed from the ISOS website). It includes the telephone numbers of the three major worldwide International SOS Alarm Centers. In the event of an emergency or to secure any of the ISOS medical or travel services, call the Philadelphia alarm center or any of the other emergency phone numbers listed on the card.
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 (use this code to access the Emory University International SOS website)
- The telephone number from which you are calling (in case you are disconnected)
- Your relationship to the Emory University student, faculty, or staff member (if the person calling is not the student, faculty, or staff member)
- Name, location, and telephone number of the hospital, clinic, 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 you are familiar with the specifics of the medical plan 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 on Aetna's website.
- 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 submission. Please contact your benefits specialist at 404.727.7613.