Concussion Protocol

In our society of over-triage and "Google" MD's there'll be an ambulance, or two, at every game.
Perhaps we should expect a helicopter be on stand-by for all games.
P.S.: There is very little definitive "treatment" an ambulance crew can administer. What they offer is a ride to the hospital,
maybe faster, maybe slower than driving on your own.

Parents, advocate for your kids, stand up and take them off the field, it's your kid, and you're paying for all this fun!
If your kid gets their "bell-rung" pull'em off. For crying-out-loud this is just youth soccer.
 
Question???
If a 3rd party calls the paramedics, who gets billed for that?
The only bill anyone would receive is by the agency that transports the patient to the hospital. The responding FD does not bill anyone for a response. That's your tax dollars at work. LA City FD uses their own units to transport. You still get a bill for the ride. LACoFD contracts with private ambulance companies. The only bill you'll get is from the ambulance company. Just depends which FD. Some contract out..many use their own.
Average bill is roughly in the $800-$1000 range. (Last year my wife was transported from Downtown LA to County USC and the bill was $900+/- Insurance covered it minus the copay.
And get this one. Let's say this happened at the Lancaster Soccer Complex. Based on all the info I've been given this player would've met trauma center criteria due to the mechanism of injury and +KO. For years the AV didn't have trauma center rated hospitals. (They do currently) Which means this player would've been flown via helicopter to Children's LA or another trauma center in the LA area. And there wouldn't have been a bill for the ride!!
Now let's say a small FD like West Covina who contracts out to Mercy Air flies you out. I don't know what that bill will be. I don't think I even want to know. (I know if I do a bit of digging I can find out.)
 
And do clubs actually ask to see the MD note allowing the player to play? Our coach could care less....
The league and Cal-South require it.

The question is, are all of them being reported. I know that there are referees that aren't. My daughter's team has had to report 2 that weren't reported by the CR.

As a referee I've had a similar experience with coaches as Surf Ref in Presidio/SDDA games. About half are real jerks about it. I haven't had them argue too much. If I reported that they were trying to get me to overlook it I believe that they would get straightened out by the league.

I think it will be a non-issue in a couple years.
 
The only bill anyone would receive is by the agency that transports the patient to the hospital. The responding FD does not bill anyone for a response. That's your tax dollars at work. LA City FD uses their own units to transport. You still get a bill for the ride. LACoFD contracts with private ambulance companies. The only bill you'll get is from the ambulance company. Just depends which FD. Some contract out..many use their own.
Average bill is roughly in the $800-$1000 range. (Last year my wife was transported from Downtown LA to County USC and the bill was $900+/- Insurance covered it minus the copay.
And get this one. Let's say this happened at the Lancaster Soccer Complex. Based on all the info I've been given this player would've met trauma center criteria due to the mechanism of injury and +KO. For years the AV didn't have trauma center rated hospitals. (They do currently) Which means this player would've been flown via helicopter to Children's LA or another trauma center in the LA area. And there wouldn't have been a bill for the ride!!
Now let's say a small FD like West Covina who contracts out to Mercy Air flies you out. I don't know what that bill will be. I don't think I even want to know. (I know if I do a bit of digging I can find out.)
Mercy Air would run about $12-$16K billed. Government owned aircraft cannot charge for transport.
 
Any recommendations on where to go for baseline testing?
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Sports Medicine Group does baseline concussion testing. I think it costs something like $25. They have outpatient locations spread around the LA area: https://www.chla.org/sports-medicine-program

They're great for concussion management and for other sports-related injuries (ie orthopedics), too. Highly recommend.
 
Mercy Air would run about $12-$16K billed. Government owned aircraft cannot charge for transport.
I didn't say they did. I was just putting it into perspective for those that didn't know about a patient being flown out and it not costing them.
However..you can purchase an insurance policy thru companies like Reach Air Ambulance Service. It's a very small price to pay to cover your whole family in the event you ever need air transport. A lot of people who camp/ride in the desert do this due to the very nature of where they are riding and the hazards that come with it. A busy weekend camping and riding out at Ocotillo Wells or Glamis will have more than it's share of FD responses. A few years ago we were out at Ocotillo and a saw the air ambulance out there three different times. Here's an example of people getting rescued because they were in a place where they weren't prepared to be in and had no business being in to begin with. Free helicopter ride and they can tell their friends to check the video out of them on Youtube.

 
So as a parent how do you determine whether you should call 911 for an ambulance or whether you should just drive your kid to the ER after this type of injury?
 
When it happened to my daughter she jumped for a header and had her legs taken out and hit her head against the ground. She jumped right up but the ref noticed how hard she hit and asked her some questions and pulled her right off. I dont think she needed 911 called but i should have taken her to the ER instead of waiting a day. Again poor parenting on my part and I should have known if a ref is pulling my kid out of the game he sees something that's not right and I should have taken her to the ER. I have 2 girls, one has had a concussion and one has torn her ACL twice. the one who tore her ACL i had her in the doctor that day and i waited a day for the concussion. knowing what i know now the ACL could have waited a day the concussion should have been checked that day.
 
Back
Top