GE, Houston Texans team-up over a concussion telemedicine pilot

concussion chart

The Houston Texans, GE and the Houston Methodist Concussion Center have teamed-up to fund a two-year concussion telemedicine pilot that will bring specialized concussion care to student athletes at 19 rural school districts in Texas.

As part of the deal, when a student athlete is injured in a game or practice with a suspected concussion, a Houston Methodist athletic trainer will go to the school or training facility to administer a concussion evaluation, including a neurologic and neuropsychological examination. Then, a Houston Methodist Concussion Center physician will direct the examination via a secure online video connection to provide a diagnosis and outline a treatment plan.

“Replacing an office visit with a telemedicine visit can allow the student-athlete begin the correct treatment plan sooner and safely return to school and sports faster,” Greg Grissom, Houston Texans Vice President, Corporate Development, said in a statement. “Many student athletes in southeast Texas are two to three hours from a concussion specialist, so this telemedicine program gives Houston Methodist a chance to provide the same level of concussion care as our players receive. We’re proud to work with great partners like Houston Methodist and GE and excited to see this project make an impact with student-athletes.”

If everything goes as planned, Houston Texans, GE Healthcare and Houston Methodist Concussion Center will expand the program to provide all athletes in Texas with telemedicine access to its concussion care experts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries each year, the majority of which go untreated.

[Via: HitConsultant]