The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act

The Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act

Protecting Athletic Trainers who Provide Services in a Secondary State

Many states do not provide legal protection for athletic trainers or sports medicine professionals who travel to another state with an athletic team solely to provide care for that team. Medical liability insurance carriers do not cover them when they travel with their team to states where they are not licensed to practice. Consequently, they must choose between either treating injured athletes at great professional risk or abandoning the teams to whom they provide care. Congress must pass legislation that provides legal protection for athletic trainers and other sports medicine professionals who deliver care to athletic teams across state lines.

 

H.R. 302 / S. 808

  • H.R. 302 / S. 808 will provide legal protection for athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals who travel to other states with an athletic team to provide care for that team.
  •  For the purposes of liability, health care services provided by a covered athletic trainer or sports medicine professional to an athlete, an athletic team, or a staff member of an athlete or athletic team in a secondary state will be deemed to have occurred in the professional’s primary state of licensure.
  • H.R. 302 / S. 808 allows athletic trainers and sports medicine providers to engage in the treatment of injured athletes across state lines without the fear of incurring great professional loss.
  • This bill aims to preserve sports athletes and athletic teams’ access to sports medicine professionals who provide high-quality health care services.

 

 

For more information:

Amy Callender, Director of Government Affairs for NATA, at (972) 532-8853 or amyc@nata.org