Top 5 Trends in Concussion Care

(Newswire.net — April 20, 2016) National Harbor, MD –With all eyes opened to concussions, numerous efforts across the spectrum of the economy have opened opportunities — and hurdles — for savvy venture capitalists, investors and healthcare industry, according to neurologist Harry Kerasidis, MD and Medical Director for XLNTbrain, an online and mobile sports concussion management system.

“The industry has come a long way, but still has a long, long way to go,” said Dr. Kerasidis, who has devoted his 25-year career to studying and treating concussions, based in Maryland. “It’s still an emerging market that has a potential of serving millions of people with proper, or clinical-caliber, concussion care.” 

Dr. Kerasidis pointed out the concussion business spans a wide variety of potential industries including the consumer products and services, healthcare and insurance providers, as well as medical research and education.

“You almost have to become a politician to explain how to properly provide concussion care on the youth sports, collegiate and professional levels,” said Dr. Kerasidis, who is also seeking $5 million in business and research funding. “There are massive opportunities to change the way concussion care is handled. But there are challenges with the industry growing pains.” 

Based on Dr. Kerasidis recent market entry with XLNTbrain, he has assembled the following trends to give investors, and other entrepreneurial endeavors, insight to where the industry stands now, and where’s its heading.

Top 5 Trends in Concussion Care

1. CTE-Related Research — Millions of dollars are being invested in research, but we are only scratching the surface of understanding how concussion injuries heal. Because XLNTbrain is a centralized tool with online and mobile applications, the database can assist with data collection and analysis. Dr. Kerasidis reported last month his latest findings about how gender affects concussion care.
2. Advancing Diagnostic Tools Integration — As more concussion detection tools emerge, more focus will be on integrating the data into a patient’s history, or file. One day soon, we will have annual concussion tests as common annual physical exams to track the overall health before and after the playing days. Based on the latest science, XLNTbrain helps assess concussion risk in a number of ways, including cognitive, emotional and balance measures.
3. Healthcare Interface — Healthcare providers on the front lines of post-concussion injury care have a major opportunity to usher in a new era. Today, most emergency rooms and related healthcare providers continue to miss the boat with concussion assessment and recovery. Yet, with millions of concussions occurring every year, adding an EHR-friendly concussion management system would significantly increase revenues, while providing patients the greatest service for the most important organ in the body. 
4. State Legislation — Expect state and perhaps federal laws to continue to impact how well student-athletes are treated by honing in on “best practices” for return-to-play and return-to-learn guidelines. For example, with 1.8 million student athletes, the state of California recently approved three districts to begin a pilot program using computerized pre-season concussion baseline testing. However, should states fail to embrace concussion advancements, more pressure will be felt across the industry to meet the growing demand for concussion care. Also state legislation will also invite more law suits so organizations need to be prepared with the practices that protect them from liability.
5. Multi-Partner Consortiums — As demand continues for research, products and services, eventually we will see healthcare and insurance providers working with private enterprise to meet and influence new state laws designed to support student athletics. This will tip into new services designed for the millions of others who suffer a concussion and post-injury symptoms. We’ve seen high school “athletic associations” also become a potential major vehicle, should public school systems require support. 

Neurologist Harry Kerasidis, M.D is the founder and medical director for the sports concussion management platform XLNTbrain, based in Maryland. He is also the founder of Chesapeake Neurology Associates in Prince Frederick, Maryland and serves as the Medical Director for the Center for Neuroscience, Sleep Disorders Center and Stroke Center at Calvert Memorial Hospital. Dr. Kerasidis authored Concussion-ology: Redefining Sports Concussion Management for All Levels, published in December.