practice profiles: case study #1 Athletic T rainers in Orthopedic Offices Athletic trainers (ATs) are routinely employed in hospitals, clinics, and in sports medicine, family, pediatric, orthopedic and physiatry practices. Physicians and practice managers say ATs working in these settings 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. Foun ded in 198 6, the SUNYDow nsta te Department of Or- thopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Me dic ine is a lea din g pr ov ide r of re- sear ch and musc ulos kele tal car e. The department is part of a clinical, aca- demic and research network and is the home of an accredited residencyeducation program in orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. SUNYprovides educational programs for coaches, sports medicine personnel, hea lth pro fess ion als and pri mary car e physicians. SUNY employ s fellows hip-tr ained orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, primary care sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, podiatrists, physical ther apis ts, exe rci se spec iali sts,nurses and phy sician assistants. All play key rol es on theteam th at is fo cu sed on thepati ent’ s recove ry and re tu rn to ac tiv ity . Uni - ver sity Sp orts Me dic ine offe rs a wid e ran ge of serv ices , inc ludi ng pre -par tic ipa - tion physicals, on-field event coverage, medical services and clinics for injured athletes, arthroscopic surgery and rehabilita tive services. Athletic Trainers at SUNY An athl etic trainer at SUNY is called a physician extender (PE) and pro- vides compr ehensiv e support to the physician to meet all the clinic al needs of the patient. These needs include everything from reviewing the charts to direct patient care. SUNY Downstate Medical CenterAaron Hajart, MS, ATC Administrator of Sports Medicine “Athletic trainers are one of the only professionals who can take a patient from the second they get hurt through the entire process successfully." Aaron Hajart, Administrator, Division of Sports Medicine “Having an AT in my office has been a tremendous asset and has resulted in happier patients, greater productivity and better patient care. They understand the importance of getting my patients back on their feet in a safe, expeditious manner.” William Urban , MD National Athletic Trainers’ Association • www.nata.org • 214.637.6282 Evolution of the Athletic Trainer at SUNY William Urban, MD, founded the athletic trainer program in 2008. After working with ATs while completin g his fellowshi p, he decided to duplica te the concept at his own clinical department. He found the AT clinical competencyin musculoskeletal knowled ge to be superior to other non-physicia n providers because ATs evaluate both the acute, sub-acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries. Dr. Urban saw that non-physician providers generally have limited training in these particula r categories. Athleti c traine rs at SUNY fall into two categ ories: full-ti me clini cal and part- timeclinical outr eac h. Ther e are thr ee full-time A Ts employed whospen d 100 percent of their time in clinical orthopedic operation. In the hybrid model, four A T s wor k both in the clin ica l outr eac h and rot ate thr oug h diff ere nt orth o- pedic specialties, including hand surgeons, joint replac ement, spine surgeons, foot and ankle surgeons, orthopedic traumatologist, sports orthopedic and physical medicine. These AT s earn between $50-60,000 per year before bonus. The bonus is given annually through the physician, based on extra assistance outside oftypical duties. Benefit of using an AT as a Physician ExtenderSUNY has used ATs in a variety of areas to improve efficiency, patient care and patient throughput. Utilizing ATs has allowed SUNY to create what theycall a “surgical concierge” program. The ATs escort patients through the ap- poi ntment pro cess , mai nta in con tac t, assist in sur gery and fol low up with them after surgery. Like many academic orthopedic practices, SUNY chooses not to bil l for A T ser vic es.Inste ad , the y mea sur e suc ces s with pa tie nt thr oug hp ut, in- creased efficien cy and effectiveness of a patient visit. SUNY has found that its physicians gain more time on their schedule – an av- erag e of an ho ur pe r we ek – by ut ili zi ng athleti c tra iners. A T s ha ve si gn ifi ca nt ly in - cre ased the comm unic ation with refe rra l sour ces at SUN Y . Rec entl y , the depa rtmen t has use d A T cli nic al sta ff to sta rt a DME pro gra m, whi ch has bee n a sig nif ica nt rev - en ue so ur ce an d al lo ws the de pa rtm en t to mor e ef fi ci en tly ca re fo r pa tie nt s. Patients of SUNY SUNY patients range from 5 to 95 years old, with simple, non-surgical problems to significant surgical orthopedic pathology.
