The Integration of Primary Care Sports Medicine into an Academic Emergency Medicine Practice: Academic and Revenue Enhancement

Abstract. Objectives: To determine whether integrating primary care sports medicine into academic emergency medicine (EM) can enhance both revenue and the academic program. Methods: A retrospective descriptive review of all patients seen in a primary care sports medicine practice at a university hospital sports medicine clinic was done over a 24‐month period. All patients seen initially in the ED for a sports injury either by the author or by another EM faculty member with follow‐up by the author in the sports medicine clinic were included in the study group. The study group was analyzed for diagnoses, payor mix, and revenue generated by the ED follow‐up sports medicine clinic visits. Results: There were 199 patients who met the inclusion criteria. This resulted in 483 ED follow‐up sports medicine clinic visits. The author practiced 13 hours/week in the ED and 16 hours/week in the primary care sports medicine practice, which resulted in 1,536 sports medicine clinic hours. The study group accounted for 20% of the total patient volume in the author's primary care sports medicine practice. There were 111 lower‐extremity injuries (knee 52%, foot/ankle 40%, hip/pelvis 8%), 81 upper‐extremity injuries (hand/wrist 48%, shoulder 43%, elbow 9%), and seven spine injuries. Payor mix was 47% traditional indemnity, 45% HMO, 4% selfpay, and 4% Medicare/Medicaid. Total charges for the ED follow‐up sports medicine clinic visits were 44,767 ($92.68/visit) and net receipts were $30,276 ($62.68/visit). This represented 20% of the total charges and 16% of the net receipts in the author's sports medicine practice during this period. Revenue generated by the ED follow‐up sports medicine clinic visits could have supported 12% of the equivalent cost of the base pay for a full‐time EM faculty position. Conclusion: The integration of primary care sports medicine into an academic EM faculty practice can enhance revenue through the establishment of an ED follow‐up sports medicine clinic while also providing an opportunity to expand resident learning experiences.