A medical escort company built on accredited, compassionate care
For twenty years, Commercial Medical Escorts has been bringing patients home from anywhere in the world — safely, with dignity, and at a fraction of the cost of air ambulance.
Worldwide reach, with a personal standard of care
Commercial Medical Escorts was built to give travelers, insurers, and families a safer, more affordable way to bring a patient home. When someone is hospitalized far away, an air ambulance isn't always necessary — and a skilled medical escort on a commercial flight can deliver the same clinical safety for far less.
We are accredited by both CAMTS and EURAMI — in 2019 we became the first medical escort company to earn EURAMI dual-accreditation in both the US and Europe — and we've held active memberships in the leading travel-insurance associations since 2010 — with board representation in the US.
From our base in Pompano Beach, Florida, our clinical team and coordinators manage cases across the globe, treating every patient with the respect and attention they deserve.
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Our medical team
Our clinical team
- Flight physicians with 20+ years of emergency-medicine experience
- Flight nurses with decades in cardiac ICU, trauma, and stroke care
- Critical-care paramedics with extensive aeromedical backgrounds
- Coordinators who manage each case from intake to delivery
Meet Commercial Medical Escorts
A look at how our flight nurses, physicians, and paramedics bring patients home — bedside to bedside, on commercial aircraft, anywhere in the world.
Credentials that stand up to scrutiny
The standards our partners' compliance and audit teams expect — earned, current, and verifiable.
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.
The first medical escort company dual-accredited in both the US and Europe (since 2019).
Active member of the US Travel Insurance Association since 2010, with board representation.
Active member of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada since 2010.
The people who bring patients home
A hands-on leadership team and a clinical roster of flight nurses, physicians, and paramedics — many of whom have been with CME since the early days.
Leadership & coordination
Blake Yturralde
Founder & CEO
Parkland, FL
Blake is the founder and CEO of Commercial Medical Escorts. His vision for a company focused solely on transporting patients via commercial airlines has grown into a world-known company that has carried thousands of patients safely home since 2006. A paramedic with over 20 years of ER and critical-care experience, Blake leads business development, operations, and the medical side of CME.
Elanie Sookrajh
Co-Founder & CFO
Parkland, FL
Elanie is the co-founder and CFO of Commercial Medical Escorts. Working alongside Blake, she has played an intimate role in CME's growth, leading finances, accreditations, and overall management. CME has given Elanie the opportunity to see the world and, most importantly, help people along the way.
Ingrid Beverly
Flight Coordinator
South Florida
Ingrid is one of CME's originals, with more than 18 years coordinating flights alongside Blake and Elanie — she has been routing patients home since the company's earliest days. In that time there are few situations in commercial medical transport she hasn't already solved at least once, and it shows in how calmly she handles a case that changes at the last minute. Families and case managers know her as the steady voice on the other end of the line.
Susanne Bazos
Finance / Logistics Coordinator
South Florida
Susanne joined CME in 2019 and has since taken on the accounting supervisor role. An FAU graduate, she studied multimedia studies with a minor in sociology. She enjoys couponing, her Frenchies, and spending time with her family.
Alexandra Crosby
Lead Agent — FLY CME
Boynton Beach, FL
Alexandra joined CME in 2017 and the FLY CME travel team in 2018, taking on the lead agent role. She loves coming to work knowing she will learn something new each and every day, and enjoys spending time with her family and her twin grandbabies.
Hector Romero
Logistics Coordinator / Travel Agent
South Florida
Originally from Valencia, Spain, Hector joined CME in 2019 and the FLY CME team in 2020. He studied international business and trade. Hector enjoys playing the guitar, traveling to exotic places, and loves seeing families happily reunited after a challenging medical transport.
Lucas Adarve
Repatriation Coordinator
South Florida
Lucas has been with CME for nearly five years and brings a deep working knowledge of international travel to the repatriation desk — airline policy, complex routings, and the border-to-border logistics of getting a patient home. Away from CME he is an avid DJ who has played festivals around the world, and that same instinct for timing serves him well when an itinerary has to come together on short notice. He is at his best when a long-haul repatriation lands exactly as planned.
Jason Thomas
Flight Coordinator
South Florida
A Florida native, Jason came to CME with a straightforward passion for helping people when they are most vulnerable. He is cross-trained as a travel agent, so he can carry a case through every stage — clinical coordination, flights, ticketing, and the ground details — without handing it off, which keeps things moving when timing matters most. Jason takes particular pride in the moment a patient is finally back with their family.
Clinical team
Dr. Mark Glencross
Medical Director
Licensed in FL, GA, TX, NC & OH
Mark is CME's original medical director, helping to mold the medical department into what it is today. He has practiced for over 30 years with in-depth knowledge of aeromedical and aviation medicine, occupational medicine, sports medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Dr. Michael Margolies
Flight Physician
Boca Raton, FL
Dr. Margolies joined CME in 2013 as a flight doctor. He earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and has practiced for more than 20 years as an ER physician. A man of many trades, he is also a private pilot.
Walter Kerr
Safety Officer / Paramedic
Jensen Beach, FL
Walter joined CME in 2016 and became the official safety officer in 2019. He brings 30 years of experience as a flight and critical-care paramedic and 27 years as a veteran police officer. Walter enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid golfer.
Carmen Novitski
Flight Nurse
San Antonio, TX
Carmen joined CME in 2010 and brings 22 years of experience as a full-time helicopter flight nurse and paramedic. He enjoys spending time with his wife and twin daughters; together they love vacations and exploring new places.
Amanda Smrcka
Flight Nurse
Detroit, MI
Originally from Banstead, Surrey, UK, Amanda joined CME in 2010 and has 21 years of experience in stroke, trauma, and orthopedics across hospitals throughout the United States. Her favorite quote: “If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep walking.”
Edward Mutzl
Paramedic
Mesa, AZ
Edward joined CME in 2012 and brings 25 years of experience in medical care and occupational therapy. Any opportunity he gets, he visits his family in Japan. He also enjoys cycling and the outdoors.
Our values guide every case
Compassion
Behind every case is a frightened patient and an anxious family. We treat each one with the patience and dignity we'd want for our own.
Clinical excellence
Experienced flight nurses, physicians, and paramedics, held to accredited standards on every single case — no shortcuts.
Reliability worldwide
Wherever the patient is, we coordinate the route home with the same accountability and clear communication every time.
Need to bring a patient home?
Call our coordination team or send us the case details — we’ll review the situation and give you clear options.