Service Utilization and Value at an Athletic Training Student Run Clinic for University Employees and Students

Context: Student-run health clinics (SRHC) are commonly utilized to provide clinical experiences to students in healthcare education programs as well as healthcare services to a target community. Recent reports on athletic training SRHCs (AT-SRHCs) with a client population of university students, employees and/or community members have reported positive patient outcomes and high patient satisfaction, however there is limited data about the treated conditions, services and value provided by AT-SRHC.

Objective: To track utilization of athletic training services at a free AT-SRHC.

Design: Retrospective chart review from September 2022-May 2024.

Setting: University-based AT-SRHC.

Patients: 97 patients (52 males, 44 females, 1 not documented; age 32.6±13.7 years, range: 18-65 years old; 50 employees, 47 students).

Main outcome measures: Data were extracted from an electronic medical record and scheduling software. Variables extracted included patient demographics, appointment numbers, mechanism of injury, injured body part, days since injury, injury diagnosis, injury severity, and common procedural terminology (CPT) codes. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results: Sixty-four percent (226/352) of available appointment sessions were reserved. The 3 most commonly injured body areas were the knee (n=26, 23.9%), shoulder (n=23, 21.1%), and thigh (n=13, 11.9%). The 3 most common diagnoses were sprains/strains (n=51, 46.8%), overuse conditions (e.g. epicondylitis, impingement, tendonitis; n=18, 16.5%), and nonspecific joint pain (n=22, 20.2%). The 3 most common CPT codes were for therapeutic exercise (n=136), athletic training evaluation (n=98), and manual therapy (n=78). Estimates for the total value of services range from $6,901 to $13,498 ($39.89-78.03 per session).

Conclusions: Services at an AT-SRHC were utilized by a small portion of the campus population during its first 2 years of operation. Data provides preliminary insight into AT-SRHC service utilization and value. Additional organizations may benefit from developing an AT-SRHC to provide access to affordable care and student clinical experiences.