ImPACT Applications Exceeds 12 Millionth Neurocognitive Test
Celebrates History of Innovation in Concussion Management Technology Development
ImPACT Applications, developer of ImPACT® (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test), ImPACT Pediatric®, and ImPACT Passport™, announced today that more than 12 million of its ImPACT baseline and post-injury neurocognitive tests have been administered since the release of the test in 2006. In the past year alone, ImPACT Applications has administered more than two million baseline and post-injury tests.
“This has been a year of milestones and groundbreaking achievements for ImPACT Applications. The highlight was earning FDA clearance of ImPACT and ImPACT Pediatric,” said Michael Wahlster, CEO of ImPACT Applications. “As the leader in concussion management, we have partnered with many national organizations, healthcare providers, and athletic associations to support research, safety, and technological innovations. We’ve had an exciting year and we look forward to continuing to evolve and shape the world of concussion management in 2017.”
ImPACT was developed in the late 1990’s when neuropsychologist Dr. Mark Lovell was conducting neurocognitive research studies at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. Upon moving to Pittsburgh, Dr. Lovell began working with Dr. Michael Collins and Dr. Joseph Maroon, where they continued to gather data on the neurocognitive effects of head injuries. In 2002, Dr. Lovell, Dr. Collins, and Dr. Maroon officially incorporated ImPACT Applications and released the company’s first product, ImPACT.
ImPACT Applications signed its first professional sports customer, Major League Baseball, in 2005. By 2007, the company had also formed partnerships with Major League Soccer and US Lacrosse to provide ImPACT, while also serving high schools, colleges and universities, and clinical centers across the country. Earlier this year, the company partnered with the UK-based football (soccer) governing body The Football Association (FA) and the International Football & Futsal Development Campus (IFFDC), a football (soccer) and futsal education provider focused on developing youth and professional football players, to provide baseline and post-injury neurocognitive testing using ImPACT and ImPACT Pediatric as part of their larger concussion management protocols.
With the use of the test and ImPACT Applications’ reach growing and extending to athletes of all levels as well as military units and other concussion patients, the one-millionth test was administered in 2010. As concussion awareness comes to the forefront of both professional and amateur sports, as well as with non-athletes, ImPACT Applications continues to form meaningful alliances and dedicate its resources towards new product development.
This August, ImPACT and ImPACT Pediatric became the first concussion-specific medical devices to receive FDA clearance. The FDA clearance coincided with the launch of ImPACT Pediatric, the first and only concussion-specific tool designed and cleared for individuals ages 5-11. Both devices were cleared under the category of Computerized Cognitive Assessment Aid for Concussion, a new classification of device that uses an individual’s score(s) on a battery of cognitive tasks to provide an indication of the current level of cognitive function in response to concussion. FDA de novo clearance signifies ImPACT has met the FDA’s premarket requirements to demonstrate accuracy, validity, and reliability for concussion management and the FDA order specifically states that ImPACT will “aid in the assessment and management of concussion.”
To further its support of research and innovation in the area of concussion management, ImPACT Applications donated $600,000 to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School’s Accelerate Knowledge/Improve Care: Concussion Research Program. The unrestricted gift will be used to conduct research and improve healthcare for student athletes who sustain sport-related concussions.
To cap off the year, ImPACT Applications was approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor Continuing Education (CE) courses on concussion management for psychologists. Participating psychologists can now receive CE credits when they complete ImPACT training courses, gaining the knowledge to be a key member of a multidisciplinary concussion management team. ImPACT Applications is the first and only neurocognitive testing and concussion management software company to offer APA-approved CE credits for concussion management and this honor reaffirms the need for concussion management tools across a broad spectrum of patients, not just athletes.
ImPACT Applications gained more than 800 new customers on three continents in 2016, including clinics, high school and college athletic teams, and professional sports leagues. As a result of its expansion on a national and international level, ImPACT Applications recently relocated its corporate headquarters to San Diego, where the team will continue its industry-leading work in developing research-backed concussion evaluation and management technology for healthcare providers and sports organization.