Closing the Concussion Care Gap With Telemedicine

Leveraging professional experience and concussion-specific training

As part of their commitment to staying on the front lines of concussion management, Dr. Chopra and Dr. Griffin have completed the Credentialed ImPACT Consultant (CIC) program - a rigorous training program on the assessment and management of concussions.

In addition to extensive concussion training, they were early-adopters of telemedicine in a time where it was not very common due to state laws making it extremely time-intensive. Despite the barriers, they saw the potential in telemedicine and went through the process of getting licensed in over 40 states.

Choosing what assessment tools to include in the concussion care toolbox

As longtime users of ImPACT, they knew the importance of objective data to support their clinical decision making, monitor patients’ progress, and communicate with patients. Having an objective measure makes patients’ progress feel “tangible” and also builds patient confidence in the treatment plan. That’s why they chose to use ImPACT in their concussion program from the very beginning.

Baseline testing helps doctors understand a patient’s “normal” cognitive state.

Because most local schools in New Jersey require baseline testing, many patients that are referred to Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine for concussion have taken an ImPACT baseline test.

“Baseline testing makes the doctors’ job easier because it gives us a starting point and a standardized way of assessing the concussion.” - Dr. Chopra

2021 predicted to exceed 1 billion telemedicine visits.

In the face of a rapid shift to the medical landscape that made many clinics close or minimize in-person care and patients hesitant to go into the clinic, Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine was able to quickly adapt by adding a telemedicine component to their practice. Because of Dr. Chopra and Dr. Griffin’s extensive experience with telemedicine, they were able to bypass many of the barriers to getting started that their peers were experiencing.

Up to this point, there was not a way to offer standardized neurocognitive testing via telemedicine, so physicians relied solely on symptom reporting and other subjective measurements. That’s why when ImPACT Applications announced a way for physicians to administer ImPACT via telemedicine, Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine was an early adopter. Since then, they have seen very similar outcomes from concussion care visits using ImPACT via telemedicine as they had seen with in-person visits.

Approximately 50% of their patients opted for telemedicine visits for concussions.

In addition to seeing existing patients via telemedicine, they’ve acquired new patients through their telemedicine program who live in more distant parts of New Jersey or surrounding states who likely wouldn’t have come to them for in-person care.

“With the ease of access provided by telemedicine, I think we’ll see more people seeking medical care for head injuries especially in rural areas where the closest concussion specialist may be upwards of 30 miles away.” - Dr. Griffin