Why tele-concussion?
The recent pandemic caused a major shift in medicine, where providers were forced to adapt and offer virtual visits. This has resulted in a surge in research on the efficacy of telemedicine, and tele-concussion specifically. Preliminary research findings include:
- Telemedicine increases access to specialty care for those who historically experience disparity in this type of access
- Patient satisfaction for virtual visits is often as high or higher than in-person visits
- Concussion can safely and effectively be treated via tele-concussion
Telemedicine is here to stay
Due to the ongoing pandemic and the overwhelmingly positive research findings around telemedicine, telemedicine is here to stay. We see this evidenced in the formation of nationwide agreements that allow providers to practice virtually across state lines. For psychologists and neuropsychologists, this agreement is called Psypact, this includes 28 states with active legislation in an additional 7 states.
Tele-concussion at Caze Concussion Institute
During fellowship, Dr. Caze was providing tele-concussion prior to the pandemic. The number of tele-concussion visits consistently rose and allowed for Dr. Caze to write the seminal paper on how to deliver tele-concussion services. Since access is so important for Caze Concussion Institute, tele-concussion is a main service line. Dr. Caze is an approved Psypact provider which allows those outside of NE and in the current participating states to receive this specialized care. It is important to note that at this time those outside of the state of NE will have to pay either cash or out of network fees.
We are working diligently to determine how to make these services in-network for states outside of NE.