News and Information
INDIANA ATHLETIC TRAINERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES CONCUSSION STATEMENTS
The Indiana Athletic Trainers Association (IATA) today released two statements related to the evaluation and management of concussions. The first statement is in response to the new Indiana Concussion Law (SEA 93) requiring increased education on concussions and immediate removal of any high school athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion. To produce this statement, representatives from the IATA sought input and guidance from representatives within the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), who’s responsible for implementing the new law, and from the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). You can read the new law in its entire form by clicking here.
"The Indiana Department of Education would like to thank the Indiana Athletic Trainer’s Association for educating their members concerning concussions and for their partnership in working with other agencies to enhance the health and safety of Indiana students."
Jolene Bracale, Indiana Department of Education
“The intent of this document was to help clarify some of the questions athletic trainers in the high school were having. We received so many requests when the law passed from athletic trainers asking how this affected them on a day-to-day basis that we thought it was wise to help produce something that could be used as a resource to answer questions. ”
Scott Lawrance, IATA President
“With this document the Indiana Athletic Trainers Association (IATA) in cooperation with the IHSAA and the Indiana Department of Education has worked hard to create an easy to use resource to help educate and answer questions for licensed athletic trainers, coaches, athletic administrators, parents and the general public from across the state regarding implications related to the new Indiana Concussion law (SEA 93) which went into effect July 1.”
Craig Voll, IATA Governmental Affairs Committee Chair
The second statement released today provides athletic trainers with a set of recommendations and guidelines related to the role of neurocognitive testing in a concussed athlete, the use of a graduated return to play protocol, and the role of the athletic trainer and team physician in the management of this injury. This set of recommendations has been reviewed by the Indiana State Medical Board Commission on Sports Medicine who were supportive of the document.
“Considering the higher risk of second impact syndrome following a concussion in the high school aged athlete it is imperative that the same graduated return to play progression used in the NFL is used for the high school athlete returning from a concussion.”
Craig Voll, IATA Governmental Affairs Committee Chair
“This set of recommendations is grounded in the current literature and gives athletic trainers in the State of Indiana a resource to help them work with coaches, student-athletes, parents, and other health care professionals that may not be versed in the needs of managing an athlete who has sustained a concussion.”
Scott Lawrance, IATA President
"I believe these statements will be a helpful tool for the membership of the IATA as they assist the active population."
John Locke, IATA Past President
To view and download the Concussion Interpretation Statement, click here.
To view and download the Concussion Management Recommendations, click here.
IATA Revenue Committee Update
HEA 1467 Athletic Trainer Reimbursement Summary
Effective July 1, 2011, House Enrolled Act ("HEA") 1467 will create opportunities for Licensed Athletic Trainers ("LAT") to receive reimbursement from accident and sickness insurers and health maintenance organizations ("HMO"). While the new law will not mandate or require reimbursement for particular services, it will make certain that insurers cannot avoid paying for otherwise covered service merely because the services were provided by LATs (assuming the services properly fall within the LAT scope of practice). It will also add LAT services to the list of potentially reimbursable HMO services.
To read the entire legal opinion document, click here.
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Ground breaking legislation for insurance reimbursement for Athletic Training Services became effective July 1, 2011. This legislation applies only to healthcare policies that are renewed after that date, which usually occurs January 1 of each year. While the New law does not mandate or require reimbursement for particular services, it does make certain that insurers cannot avoid paying for otherwise covered services merely because the services were provided by LATs (assuming the services properly fall within the LAT scope of practice). It also adds LAT services to the list of potentially reimbursable HMO services. Under current accident and sickness insurance statutes, "health care services" means services rendered by a provider within the scope of practice of the provider's license. It is important to remember, Indiana insurance law applies to insured members only and that many of the policies in Indiana are Administrative Services Only (ASO) and covered under ERISA laws. Therefore, all members benefits, and provider types covered should be verified before services are rendered.
In January, Kip Smith, LAT (IATA Revenue Committee, Chair) and Paul Plummer, LAT (IATA Revenue Committee), Lou Belch (IATA Lobbyist), and Linda Barrabee (Director of Provider Services for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana) met to discuss how to best begin this process of contracting Athletic Trainers into Anthem Networks. Discussion topics included credentialing Athletic Trainers, contracting with Athletic Trainers, and how to begin the process to get reimbursed.
To read the entire insurance reimbursement document, click here.
