There's a medflight helicopter pad not far from my place out in the country. It's just a small concrete pad on a lot and when it is dispatched it ascends straight up to what I'd guessed was 300' but could easily be 500' before taking off towards its destination. Landings are similar.
I always thought it looked weird but now I wonder if it's because it's largely surrounded by private property.
I am near a hospital in a city and while they usually do the same thing sometimes the pilots seem intent on testing the limits of their craft/FAA regulations.
Very possible but we're out in the middle of absolute nowhere. The ascent in particular looks robotic in its precision, takes maybe 30 seconds. It's really quite cool to see.
High vertical ascent/descent is very, very dangerous[1] method of takeoff/landing for helicopters, so especially in case of medical transport I would expect it to be due to safety factors more than anything.
[1] been decades since I've read the textbook on it, but IIRC it involves higher load on rotor and engines than "running" methods that utilize ground effect and provide horizontal momentum against wind gusts.
I have the same recollection which I think is why it stood out to me the first time I saw it. It's frankly kind of bizarre looking, like it's getting hoisted by a crane.
I always thought it looked weird but now I wonder if it's because it's largely surrounded by private property.