General Policies

Recreational Sports has an agreement with Ascension Seton Sports Performance to provide athletic training services for sport clubs. This agreement establishes Ascension Seton Sports Performance as the sole field medical provider for assigned teams.  A club’s inability to comply with Ascension Seton Sports Performance policies and procedures may forfeit the club’s ability to use any athletic training service and other disciplinary sanctions.

Through this agreement the monitors the following items:

1. An Authorized Representative of the specified clubs must confirm practice times and review expectations. 

   1. It is the dual responsibility for Ascension Seton Sports Performance and the Sport Club to review their policies and procedures with their members within the first two weeks of practice.

   2. Practice times and locations need to be confirmed at least one month prior to meeting with Ascension Seton Sports Performance.

   3. The Ascension Seton Sports Performance staff will have meetings with the club captains/presidents and each club individually.

2. Ascension Seton Sports Performance will send semesterly invoices for basic coverage of supplies, practices and home events to the Sport Club Staff and team leaders.

   1. It is the club’s responsibility to review the invoice prior to the payment approval. If the club does not review the invoice by the deadline given the Sport Club Staff, the invoice will be submitted as is. 

   2. Away events are optional coverage as it’s the club’s responsibility to provide travel expenses for the athletic trainer. Please discuss with Sport Club staff prior to making these arrangements.

   3. Cancellations or rescheduling of games, practices or tournaments require 48-72 hours notice to the athletic trainer or the team will be charged for that event. Some exceptions can be made for weather related cancelations. In general, if the Athletic Trainer is in route to the event a club should expect to be billed for at least 50% of the scheduled time if the event is then canceled.

3. All student athletes must follow the proper protocol concerning return to play based on Ascension Seton Sports Performance policies and procedures.

The Role of an Athletic Trainer

Ascension Seton Sports Performance will provide certified and licensed athletic trainers for practices, tournaments and home events. Services include the following: assess and treat minor and moderate injuries and illnesses, help determine, if necessary, to seek further medical care with an MD or ER, progress athletes to return to play with mild and moderate injuries within athletic trainer capabilities, adhere to team physician medical practices, provide warm-up/cool-down instruction to athletes as needed, provide on-site therapy for mild to moderate injuries if time, make decisions about adverse weather, and equipment permits and help the team with the administrative needs for the medical program.

The Role of a Team Physician

Services include the following: provide physicals and concussion baseline testing for all NEW players at the beginning of each season, review RETURNING athletes updated medical history forms yearly for issues concerning the activity or sport, review injuries serious enough to require MD evaluation before athlete is cleared to return to sport, provide malpractice and liability insurance for athletic trainer and physician services, provide all salary and benefits for medical personnel utilized for services above and supervise the work of the athletic trainers, be on-call for any medical concerns the athletic trainer has with any particular athlete, provide discounted office services for the covered teams, and provide same day appointments for athletes to expedite care, if necessary and given proper notice.

Supplies

Ascension Seton Sports Performance will select and stock appropriate supplies for field care of athletes. Ascension Seton Sports Performance will include the cost of their basic supplies into their hourly rate. Additional supplies if needed (outside of the amount included in their hourly rate) will be purchased by Ascension Seton Sports Performance for the teams and invoiced to the teams.

Team Expectations

Any and all Sport Clubs utilizing Ascension Seton Sports Performance services for recurring practices agree to the following team expectations:

• Regular communication with Ascension Seton regarding weekly practice schedule, events, and general info regarding team & athletes.

• NEW players MUST obtain a sports physical, with concussion baseline testing, from Team Physician OR submit a recent physical to the AT to place in their chart.

  • Individuals who sign-up for a physical through Ascension Seton and no-call, no-show will be charged a fee by Ascension Seton and will be advised to get their physical on-campus instead.

  • Physicals performed by a provider other than Ascension Seton should be completed using the

• Sports physicals are covered by the new athlete participation fee detailed below.

• Returning players must fill out yearly online medical history update forms and are strongly encouraged to obtain a sports physical.

• Players need to notify medical team for any injury or illness serious enough to prevent play or serious enough to require physical evaluation regardless if the injury happened at practice or not.

• Team physician evaluation will be expected for injuries requiring surgery or significant time out of activity. Each athlete may see the physician of their choice for treatment, but for serious injuries or illnesses they must be seen by the Ascension Seton Sports Performance medical team to be cleared to return to play.

  • Timeline for return to play will depend on the injury severity and speed of recovery.

Athletic Trainer Mistreatment

Any person(s) or team association(s) working in collaboration with Sport Clubs or under direct supervision of the athletic trainer assigned to Sport Clubs found to be mistreating the Athletic Trainer will be notified of a violation by Sport Club staff. Anyone found in violation are eligible for referral to the Student Conduct office and removal from the Sport Club program. 

Team Services

The hours needed for the athletic trainer and on-field medical supplies for the year will be calculated and billed to the team every semester along with items mentioned below:

• Games, practices, or events not on the original schedule may incur additional fees for the athletic trainer to cover

• Some conferences for the team may require medical insurance to participate and it is the team’s responsibility to manage that for their players - UT and Ascension Seton do not require medical insurance

Regular Team Coverage & Event Coverage: $43/hour, per athletic trainer and any additional supplies

Player Services

Pricing for Athletes at Clinic

Request Athletic Training Services

If you would like athletic trainer(s) at an event, you should request through your advisor. Requests for coverage for special events are due at least six (6) weeks prior to the event date. Requests for coverage for recurring weekly practices are due at least two months before the semester.

Treatment of Injuries

When an individual comes to Ascension Seton Sports Performance for treatment of injury, or to be cleared to play from an injury, there are charges associated with that service. YOUR MEDICAL INSURANCE WILL BE BILLED. For any services provided, but not covered by insurance, THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT ATHLETE WILL BE BILLED FOR THE REMAINDER OF ANY FEES DUE. This will be discussed prior to services being performed.

Insurance Rules Ascension Seton Sports Performance Must Follow

1. All patients must be billed the same amount, discounts for individuals and teams cannot be given per insurance rules

   1. Exception: patients who do not have insurance can be given a discount if paid in full at the time of the office visit, or if a payment plan is agreed to at time of service; this is why Ascension Seton Sports Performance asks for payment at the time of service.

2. The individual’s medical insurance plan dictates prices for all services at all medical facilities. There are different prices for ER, urgent care, specialist and UT clinic which are defined by those clinics and their agreements with each insurance plan. Ascension Seton Sports Performance has sought to provide services at the most reasonable prices for all patients and especially our UT club members.

3. Funds are due and will be collected from the individual at the time of the office visit; Ascension Seton Sports Performance will contact students who may have an outstanding balance for services provided.

Return to Play

Clearance by Ascension Seton

1. After a significant occurrence such as surgery, players need to be seen by the physician. Ascension Seton Sports Performance checks for sport-specific clearance that isn’t typically administered by a primary care physician or surgeon. Also, we need to assess functional ability prior to return to sport. If there is a deficit, the athlete can work with the athletic trainer to overcome that typically within days/weeks.

For all injuries and illnesses

After treatment recommended by the physician and/or athletic trainer is completed:

1. Player must have no symptoms or minimal symptoms deemed safe by the medical staff

2. Player may need to set up an appointment to see the physician to be cleared to return to play as determined by the medical staff; all concussions require an evaluation with a physician

3. Player will follow the protocol set by the physician to return to play while supervised by the athletic trainer

Concussion Protocol

Once a player sustains a head injury:

1. The athletic trainer will evaluate the player to determine if further evaluation by the physician is necessary. 

2. If the athletic trainer is not present at the time of the head injury (i.e. Away event) and the coach recognizes any sign or symptom of a concussion, he or she will have the player discontinue activity immediately. The coach MUST let the athletic trainer know about the injury as soon as possible. The athletic trainer will help the player manage their injury.

3. If the athletic trainer or coach suspects a concussion, the player will come into Ascension Seton Sports Performance to see the physician, so they can be tested on a computer to be compared to their baseline test.

4. The physician will evaluate the player and determine a treatment and/or return to play plan.

5. Return to play protocol is adjusted to fit the specific needs of the player.