RiverView Health’s concussion program is now a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant (CIC) program after Dr. Erik Kanten earned his CIC designation. The CIC designation is the highest accolade in concussion care assuring patients they are receiving the best possible care.
The CIC program is available to licensed healthcare professionals permitted to administer neurocognitive testing. RiverView’s new designation allows the opportunity for additional continuing education for ImPACT providers and a lower baseline testing fee.
ImPACT is a computerized assessment to document an athlete’s neurocognitive functioning before the sports seasons begin with baseline testing. The program is widely used by area high school athletes. If a possible concussion occurs, after the athlete has seen his or her primary caregiver, another ImPACT test is done to determine any damage since the baseline testing. The computerized program evaluates and documents multiple aspects of neurocognitive functioning, including verbal and visual memory, attention span, brain processing speed, reaction time, and post-concussive symptoms. The user-friendly injury documentation system enables medical providers and therapists to track the injury from the field and through the recovery process. An athlete is usually cleared to go back to play after favorable ImPACT results. ImPACT baseline testing is repeated every two years by all athletes to take into account cognitive development.
Therapists Alyssa Halley, CCC-SLP; Carly Hansen, CCC-SLP; Rhonda Salentiny, MPT; and Tina Safranski, MOTR/L, from RiverView’s Rehab Services and Dr. Kanten are specially trained to run the program that is also used by many professional and amateur teams, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
The program is popular in the area, according to RiverView Occupational Therapist Tina Safranski. In the past year, RiverView as conducted over 300 baseline tests for area high school athletes. The baseline testing is free for the athletes thanks to RiverView Health and funding from the United Way.
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