Play It Safe Concussion Care Solution to use Axon Sports CCAT for Baseline testing

Aug 13 2010

Wells Fargo Insurance Services' Student Insurance Division announced today that its Play It Safe Concussion Care™ Solution will use Axon Sports Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool (CCAT) for its Baseline testing. Launched in 2009, the Play It Safe Concussion Care™ Solution is a broad concussion management treatment and services solution for athletes nationwide.

“We believe every athlete should have a Baseline test every year”

"We know concussions and head injuries can occur frequently during high-velocity athletic events and the lack of proper diagnosis and management of these injuries may result in serious long-term consequences," said John Breckenridge, senior vice president for Wells Fargo Insurance Services. "With our program, we not only lessen the financial burden of concussion care, we work with companies that support an athlete's safe return to the classroom or return to play--while increasing education and reducing liability."

The Axon Sports CCAT is a series of simple tasks that allows an athlete to establish a Baseline of cognitive performance. Repeating the same test after injury identifies any cognitive changes from the Baseline performance, which can indicate that the brain is not yet fully recovered from injury. On average, the test takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Results are available immediately and are scientifically validated and reliable. Comparing the results of a Baseline test to an After Injury test gives doctors a useful tool as they make decisions on whether an athlete may safely return to play or return to the classroom.

"We believe every athlete should have a Baseline test every year," said Polly James, Axon Sports president and CEO. "We are proud to lead the way as an innovator in cognitive assessment and welcome the opportunity to be a part of the comprehensive Play It Safe Concussion Care program."

Axon Sports approach is unique in that Baseline and After Injury tests are stored in an athlete's account. If the athlete changes teams, schools, doctors, or cities, the data is not left behind. The data stays with the athlete creating a cohesive picture, easily accessible and sharable at the athlete's discretion.

"Athlete ownership of their data allows them to store test results for up to 15 years, maintaining on-going benchmarks of brain cognition," added James.