Frequently-Asked Questions
What are the employment opportunities for this setting?
Growing in job opportunities, athletic trainers (ATs) are routinely employed in hospitals and outpatient/ambulatory clinics. Whether as an outreach AT for a hospital or an administrator for sports medicine clinic, emerging opportunities exist for ATs looking to diversify their work experiences. A recent survey noted that ATs were attracted to hospital/clinic employment opportunities for many reasons including:
- Increased job opportunity
- Career development opportunity
- Higher salaries
- Fewer required work hours
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), ATs in total held about 16,300 jobs nationwide in May 2008. Many AT jobs are related to competitive sports, but nearly 38 percent worked in the general medical and surgical/hospitals settings.
ATs are commonly employed in hospital based community outreach programs and outpatient based rehabilitation/wellness clinics. They have also been successfully hired to assist physicians in a variety of roles such as:
- Surgical and Casting Technologists
- DME and Orthotic Technologists
- Emergency Room Sports Medicine Liaisons
- Orthopedic Technologists
As the need for evidence based research continues to remain a top priority for health care in general, ATs are finding employment in hospital based clinical research departments.
ATs are continuing to explore new opportunities to expand and compliment medical care in sports medicine, family, pediatric, orthopedic and physiatry practices in the role of a commonly used term - physician extender. Physicians and practice managers say ATs working in these settings and roles improve physician productivity, patient outcomes and satisfaction. They move patients more effectively and efficiently through the appointment and treatment process. By treating more patients in the same period of time, physicians are able to improve patient access, throughput and revenue generation.
Health care employers are embracing the complete value of an AT and the leadership skills that he or she can deliver to a group or team of employees. ATs are commonly hired into lead positions for health care organizations, outpatient clinics, community outreach programs and hospital based wellness centers. Clinical leaders can often focus on:
- Strategic planning and implementation
- Physician recruitment and practice management
- Implementing research and development projects
- Quality outcome measurement and reporting
- Customer/Patient service initiatives
- Community outreach programming and education
- Facility design, construction and operations
- Employee hiring and management
- Budgeting and financial operations
ATs are positioned to obtain employment in these emerging markets. In fact, the BLS reports that employment of athletic trainers is expected to grow 37 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, because of their role in preventing injuries and reducing health care costs. The majority of job growth will be concentrated in the health care industry, including hospitals and offices of health practitioners.
The demand for health care, with an emphasis on preventive care, should grow as the population ages and as a way to reduce health care costs. Increased licensure requirements and regulation has led to a greater acceptance of athletic trainers as qualified health care providers. As a result, third-party reimbursement is expected to continue to grow for athletic training services. ATs will benefit from this expansion because they provide a cost-effective way to increase the number of health professionals in an office or other setting.
What is direct billing vs. incident to billing?
If the patient is covered by insurance other than Medicare, you may be able to bill for services. An AT may bill directly to an insurance company if they are recognized or credentialed by the payer, otherwise AT services are billed by the physician as incident to his/her services.
What are incident to services?
Incident to a physician's professional services means that the services or supplies are furnished as an integral, although incidental, part of the physician's personal professional services in the course of diagnosis or treatment of an injury or illness. When the physician practice bills for incident to services, it is billed under the physician’s or clinic’s NPI, the documentation should show who actually performed the service.