This tool estimates the economic value an athletic trainer delivers over a reporting period. It is built for program justification and advocacy — showing an administrator what your services are worth. It is not a billing tool, and in most secondary-school settings these services are not directly billed or reimbursed.

Up to four values are calculated and added together:

1. Estimated Service (Billing) Value — Each encounter is matched to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code a clinician would use for that service (e.g., athletic training evaluation = 97169–97172; therapeutic exercise = 97110; manual therapy = 97140). A representative national reference rate for that code is multiplied by your state's Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI), a CMS factor for regional cost differences. This answers: "If these services were billed at clinician rates, what would they be worth?"

2. Patient / Family Time Saved — Treating an athlete on-site spares the family the time of seeking that care elsewhere (travel, waiting room, the visit). Value-of-the-AT literature estimates an initial evaluation alone costs a family about 2 hours; other services carry their own time estimates. That time is valued at the community median hourly wage — a proxy for the income a working parent forgoes. The tool auto-fills this from the state you select (verified BLS OEWS May 2023 medians, ranging from $18.03 in Mississippi to $40.60 in Washington, DC), and you can edit it to your exact city/metro figure. This answers: "How much family time and lost income did on-site care preserve?"

3. Avoided Medical Costs — Without an on-site AT, a share of injuries would become outside visits (urgent care ≈ $175, ER ≈ $2,600). The tool multiplies your evaluations × an estimated referral rate × the avoided-visit cost. This is the number administrators care about most: direct dollars kept out of the system.

4. Field/Game Coverage Value (optional) — Schools without an on-staff AT must hire outside per-diem coverage for games and events. Enter your total event/practice coverage hours and a per-diem rate (typically ~$50/hr) and the tool adds the staffing cost your organization avoids by employing you. Leave hours blank to skip it. This answers: "What would it cost to replace my sideline coverage with a per-diem hire?"

Total ROI Value = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4. If you enter your salary, you also get an ROI ratio (value ÷ salary), and coverage hours give a value-per-coverage-hour figure.

Reference rates are representative national averages based on the CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule; actual Medicaid/private rates vary. Modality codes like hot/cold packs (97010) are often bundled and not separately reimbursable. Treat every figure as a defensible estimate, not a billed charge.