Team Medical Coverage

In recent years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and professional organizations have endorsed independent medical teams to promote athletes' wellbeing. In this independent arrangement, the team physician is the head of the medical team and with the assistance from the health care administrator, the team physician provides oversight of team medical personnel, who are delivering health care under the direction of the team physician. The purpose of this chapter is to review the role of the modern-day team physician, highlighting areas of controversy surrounding team medical coverage.