In a business where each moment is a matter of life or death, Maura (McDonald) Hughes, MBA ’92 takes the long view.

As CFO of Boston MedFlight, a nonprofit critical care transport service, she runs administrative operations with an eye toward tomorrow’s emergencies.

This forward thinking brought Boston MedFlight to its 30-year anniversary in 2015. In a given year, the organization cares for about 3,500 of the region’s most critically ill and injured patients, transporting them by plane, helicopter or critical care ground ambulance to facilities that offer a higher level of care.

“We’ve just transported our 60,000th patient ... a big milestone for us,” says Hughes, who studied finance at Bentley and has been in her role for 18 years.

One of her biggest challenges: finding strategies so Boston MedFlight continues providing quality care in an environment where health care reimbursement is level or going down. For example, ensuring they provide services that best serve a patient’s needs.

“Does this patient need the speed of a helicopter or is a critical care ground ambulance more appropriate? Matching patient needs with the appropriate vehicle allows us to be efficient with our system,” says Hughes, noting that the organization’s budget is $26 million, with one-third of revenue coming through charitable donations and subsidies from consortium hospitals.

“I’m not flying the helicopter or holding the patient’s hand,” she adds. “But what I do and what all the staff here does ... it really makes a difference in people’s lives.”

Deblina Chakraborty is a writer and editor based in Atlanta, Ga.