Tuesday, June 25, 2013
DALLAS, June 25, 2013 – During its 64th Annual Meeting & Clinical Symposia, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) announced it has joined forces with Wells Fargo Insurance and ImPACT®Applications, Inc. to help improve identification and management of concussions in young athletes, emphasizing the important role of athletic trainers in concussion management. Wells Fargo Insurance developed the Play it Safe Concussion CareSMProgram using ImPACT® to improve the safety of athletes participating in youth league and secondary school sports where they may be at risk for concussion. With the addition of NATA, the program will now provide the expertise and knowledge of athletic trainers, in addition to the education, insurance coverage and neurocognitive testing.
“To further promote athlete safety, NATA is excited to announce its support of the Play it Safe Concussion CareSMProgram and ImPACT Trained Athletic Trainer™ (ITAT) education program,” said NATA President Jim Thornton, MA, ATC, CES. “We are now able to combine the experience of athletic trainers, ImPACT technology and financial coverage to assist in the delivery of concussion management for safe return to play.”
The announcement was made at NATA’s national press conference today on “Preventing Sudden Death in Secondary School Athletics Programs.” Leading health care professionals presented an inter-association task force consensus statement that was pre-released at the meeting and will appear in the July issue of the Journal of Athletic Training.
“With concussion prevention, identification and treatment highlighted as key cornerstones today, it is very timely we launch this new partnership with Wells Fargo and ImPACT,” said Thornton.
The Wells Fargo Play it Safe Concussion Care Program provides ImPACT baseline concussion testing and specialized insurance coverage to facilitate the athletes’ health and safe return to play. The program consists of:
Pre-injury testing: Prior to the start of a season, athletes participate in ImPACT neurocognitive testing to establish a baseline for reference in the event of a concussion. Athletic trainers who hold the ImPACT Trained Athletic Trainer (ITAT) certificate will administer the baseline test.
Access to athletic trainers and other medical professionals for injury evaluation: When an athlete appears to have sustained a concussion, he or she will be removed from play and evaluated by a trained medical professional who is qualified in the evaluation and management of concussions.
Post-injury testing :The athlete will undergo a post-injury ImPACT Test and evaluation and the scores are then compared to the baseline score to help the medical professionals determine the scope and magnitude of the concussion.
Follow up: The medical professional provides the athlete with a follow-up plan of care that may include rest, gradual re-exertion and re-evaluation.
Excess insurance coverage designed to cover the diagnosis and management of concussion: Medical expenses, including the post-injury test, that are incurred by the athlete while under care of the medical professional, may be billed to the Wells Fargo excess insurance policy included in the program. This lessens the financial burden to the athlete and his or her family.
Safe return to play: The athlete continues with follow up care, which ensures a safe return to play.
“The incidence of head injuries remains much too high in youth sports,” added Mike Lamb, vice president with Wells Fargo Insurance. “This combined effort aims to reduce the number of athletes who are not receiving proper clinical assessment and specialty care due to financial issues or access to athletic trainers and other professionals.”
NATA has named ImPACT as a Preferred Provider for its new ImPACT Trained Athletic Trainer (ITAT) offering. The Play It Safe Program utilizes ITAT-trained athletic trainers to administer the ImPACT Test, a critical baseline component of ImPACT’s Model for Concussion Management. ITAT certification provides leading-edge concussion management training, education and recognition at a discount for NATA members.
“ImPACT is delighted to play a central role in this innovative partnership and to offer our new ITAT program to NATA members as a Preferred Partner. Becoming an ITAT enables athletic trainers to be recognized as leaders by serving as an ImPACT administrator to athletes, schools, youth club organizations, sports teams and doctors in their communities who are in need of this resource,” said Dr. Mark Lovell, chief scientific officer and chairman, ImPACT. “ITAT provides athletic trainers new skills in concussion identification and management by using the ImPACT tool in support of athlete health and safe return to play.”
NATA spearheaded the 4th Youth Sports Safety Summit in Washington, DC, last February and launched the first-ever National Action Plan for Sports Safety with the support of the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, comprising more than 100 organizations committed to keeping athletes safe. Concussion management is a key component of the Plan. For more information, please visit: www.athletictrainers.org.
Find additional information on the Play it Safe Concussion Care Program, and more information on becoming an ITAT to administer the program.
About NATA:
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 35,000 members of the athletic training profession.
About Wells Fargo Insurance:
Wells Fargo Insurance is the fifth largest insurance broker in the world (Business Insurance, 2012). With 127 offices in 36 states, including D.C., Wells Fargo Insurance provides solutions for a wide range of customers, including retail consumers, high net worth individuals, small businesses, as well as middle market and large corporate customers. The 7,000 insurance professionals of Wells Fargo Insurance write or place $15 billion of risk premiums annually in property, casualty, benefits, international, personal lines, and life products and also includes the nation’s largest crop insurance provider, Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS).
About ImPACT:
Developed by clinical experts who pioneered the field, ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is the most scientifically validated computerized concussion evaluation systemused by teams, organizations and individuals globally. ImPACT Applications, Inc., is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and providestools such as theImPACT Concussion Management Model to address the need for an accurate, medically accepted assessment system as part of an overall concussion management protocol. ImPACT is constantly updating products, services and industry-leadingtraining programs by integrating new technologies, input from experts and users, and ongoing research on concussion rehabilitation methods.