Ohio Bill Could Expand ATC’s Role in Injury Treatment
According to a report from WCPO.com, House Bill 176 would allow certified athletic trainers the option to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician or podiatrist to allow the ATC to perform additional services and activities. It received 95 votes in support when brought up in early May.
The bill would be the first update in regulating athletic trainers in the state in three decades, The Journal-News reported.
“As we explore ways to stabilize healthcare costs and identify effective pain management techniques, particularly in response to the opioid crisis, expanding access to the expertise provided by athletic trainers will help to keep Ohioans of all ages and abilities healthy and active,” Rep. Rick Carfagna, R-Genoa Township, a co-sponsor of the bill, said to WCPO.com.
Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Township, the other co-sponsor, told WCPO.com that the bill “modernizes the practice act of Ohio’s athletic trainers in order to better reflect the current practice and changes in athletic training education and training.”
Ohio boasts more than 2,300 licensed athletic trainers, and Hall added to WCPO.com that, with the adoption of the bill, the state would be able to “fully utilize athletic trainers and their modern-day skills.”
In addition to broadening the role of ATCs, the bill would adjust governing practices of athletic training, including the allowance of referrals to athletic training from additional practitioners.
“The collaboration agreement between athletic trainers and physicians provides team-based care that is far stronger than any individualized care,” Dr. Benjamin Bring, who is the medical director for the OhioHealth Capital City Half and Quarter Marathon, told WCPO.com. “Our goal is to supplement the care we are providing, and we are not replacing physicians. The medical team in sports medicine is always stronger when athletic trainers are involved.”
To read the full story from WCPO.com, click here.
