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By
Brian Peavler MS, ATC, LAT, CSCS
Physician extender for Scott Gudeman MD OrthoIndy South
Over the past few years, a new
role has emerged for the certified athletic trainer (ATC). Athletic
trainers have traditionally cared for active people of all ages and
levels of sport, amature and professional. Now, the skills and education
of the ATC are being utilized by physicians in a clinical setting.
Many physicians feel that the ATC is a perfect
fit as a physician extender for several reasons: All certified athletic
trainers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited
college or university. These academic programs are accredited through an
independent process instituted by The Commission on Accreditation of
Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Athletic training programs
also require content areas of study such as acute care of injury and
illness, exercise physiology, pathology, therapeutic modalities,
therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation, human physiology/kinesiology,
risk management, medical ethical and legal issues to name only a few.
ATCs must also pass a national certifying exam and obtain state
licensure to practice under the direction of physicians. Furthermore,
ATCs are recognized by the American Medical Society (AMA) as allied
healthcare providers.
In 2000, the AMA granted Current Procedural
Terminology (CPT) codes for athletic training evaluation and
reevaluation (97005, 97006). These codes became effective in 2002. The
ATC is also able to bill for “physical medicine codes” such as 97110
(therapeutic exercise per 15 minutes) and 97116 (gait/crutch training)
as incident to physician services. It is important to note that these
are not billed as “physical therapy” services. Licensed physical
therapists are the only individuals allowed to bill for “physical
therapy” services. While a degree in physical therapy is different than
a degree in athletic training, the knowledge base, in regard to
orthopaedic injury care and rehabilitation, is essentially the same. In
fact, the education of the ATC is focused primarily on orthopaedic
injury prevention, recognition, assessment, treatment and
rehabilitation. Physical therapists receive a broader scope of training
in rehabilitation of pediatric, stroke and neurologically impaired
patients as well as wound care.
The responsibilities of the ATC as a physician
extender may include the following: injury assessment, injury prevention
and patient education, patient scheduling, surgical assistant,
communicating with other health care entities, and the rehabilitation of
injuries. In many cases, the ATC can simply bridge the gap between the
patient’s office visit and formal physical therapy, allowing the patient
to begin the rehabilitation process immediately.
This model also has several other benefits such
as better patient education, reduction in wait time for rehab and it
provides cost effective outcome oriented health care for orthopaedic
patients. In addition, since the rehabilitation is performed in the
physician’s clinic, patients may often feel more accountable, thereby
increasing compliance.
This new role for the ATC simply provides
another option for workers compensation patients and is quickly gaining
acceptance by other third party payers.
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