Thom Mayer

Thom Mayer
Nationality American
Education BA and MD
Alma mater Hanover College and Duke University
Occupation Medical doctor
Title Medical Director of the NFLPA
Executive Vice President of EmCare
Founder and CEO of BestPractices

Thom Mayer is an American physician. He serves as the medical director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), CEO of the physician group Best Practices, Executive Vice President of EmCare,[1] and is a clinical professor of medicine at George Washington University. His work in the diagnosis and treatment of concussions by the NFL has led to policy changes that treat concussions more seriously. He was also a Command Physician during the 9/11 attacks and was the physician that led the team to first diagnose anthrax in the victims of the Washington DC anthrax attack during the fall of 2001.

Academia and public service

Mayer graduated from Hanover College in 1973, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Biology and Chemistry. Following this he received his MD from the Duke University School of Medicine.[2][3] Mayer is a clinical professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University and a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University.[4][5] In his academic career he has published more than seventy-five articles and one hundred book chapters, in addition to editing fifteen books on healthcare leadership, customer service and emergency medicine.[3] He is also one of four medical directors for the Studer Group and founder of BestPractices. Over his career he has served on the Defense Science Board of the Department of Defense’s Task Forces on Bioterrorism, Homeland Security, and Weapons of Mass Destruction.[6]

9/11 and anthrax attacks

During the September 11th attacks, Mayer was a Command Physicians at the Pentagon Rescue Operation at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. He also led the first team to diagnose and treat inhalation anthrax victims during the 2001 anthrax terrorist attack in Washington,[2][3] after one of the victims was admitted to the emergency room where he was department chairman. Upon the admittance of the patient, Mayer noticed opaque areas showing the lymph nodes of the patient’s chest filling with blood upon viewing their x-rays and CAT scans. Following this he view a culture of the patient’s blood taken the day before, and saw that the anthrax bacteria had become prevalent in the blood.[7][8] His team’s treatment of the patients improved their survival rate from 20% to 55%.[9]

National Football League Players Association

In 2001 Mayer became the medical director of the NFL Players Association.[10] In this role, he has negotiated with the medical representatives of the NFL itself regarding medical policies.[11] He has also been involved in the investigation of health-related issues and deaths occurring on the NFL playing and practice fields.[12]

Concussions in the NFL

Mayer is involved with developing a response to the problem of head injuries in NFL football. In 2007 Mayer led the push for the NFLPA to be included in all NFL decisions regarding how traumatic head injuries would be dealt with by the league.[13] In the years following this, Mayer became an ad hoc member on all NFL health and safety committees.[14] In 2009 he worked with the NFLPA to allow physicians independent of the NFL teams to deal with head injuries and concussions,[15] and instigated a policy change for players “to get the approval of an independent neurosurgeon, emergency physician, or neurologist before they can return to play following a head injury or concussion” according to Scientific American. Prior to the change, only two NFL teams employed neurologists to determine treatment for their players. Mayer teamed with Dr. Elliot Pellman to appoint the new neurologists to each team.[16]

He also advised the NFLPA during the 2010 changes to NFL concussion treatment policies, and discussed the progress of these changes with the media.[17][18] He also served as the chair of the Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, formed by the NFLPA and consisting of current and former players, physicians, and researchers.[19] Additionally, he has testified on head injuries in the NFL before the House Judiciary Committee of the US Congress.[20] Mayer has stated of the treatment of head injuries that, “This is very much an evolution on all fronts - the science of the long-term effects, the science of the helmets and the rules as well … It’s all part of a process, an evolution. To simply say let’s punish the player, that strikes me as a little naive. Let’s acknowledge it's a dangerous game and let's do all we can to make it safer.”[18]

Other injuries

Mayer has also advised on the introduction of independent physicians to deal with staph infections in players,[21] and the treatment of spinal cord injuries.[22] In July 2010 Mayer discussed the issue of football tackles during practice, and the league direction of reducing the intensity of hitting during those practices.[11] In 2011, Mayer then reported that the new hitting rules had not significantly affected the effectiveness of training camps.[23] In August 2011, Mayer discussed the effect of the 2011 summer lock-out on injuries during the 2011 NFL pre-season.[24]

Role as spokesperson

In the media Mayer has discussed injuries issues both generally and in terms of individual players—for example, in 2012 Mayer was a spokesperson for Robert Griffin III before he was cleared by an independent neurologist to return to play following a head injury.[25] He also served as a spokesperson during the treatment of Kevin Everett following his spinal cord injury in 2007[26] and the cardiac arrest of Gaines Adams.[27] Additionally, he has also spoken about the NFL-related health of former players no longer with the union.[28]

Writing and lecturing

Mayer has written and lectured on aspects of healthcare leadership, customer service and healthcare flow, including textbooks Strauss and Mayer’s Emergency Department Management, Leadership for Great Customer Service: Satisfied Employees, Satisfied Patients, 1st and 2nd Editions, Hardwiring Flow, The Patient Flow Advantage, and Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow, the latter of which won the American College of Healthcare Executives’ James Hamilton Award in 2007 for the best book on healthcare leadership.[29][30]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/capacity-management/improving-hospitalwide-flow-is-key-to-competitive-advantage.html?__hstc=139751084.5442a1e835c34ab7bf88e972fdd7a7de.1441670400061.1441670400062.1441670400063.1&__hssc=139751084.2.1441670400064&__hsfp=2440438534
  2. 1 2 "Thom Mayer profile". Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "About Thom Mayer". Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ TIM WENDEL (January 27, 2011). "The NFL Lockout's Health-Care Data, Revealed". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ John Marx; Robert Hockberger; Ron Walls (2013). Rosen's Emergency Medicine - Concepts and Clinical Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. xxii.
  6. ↑ "Leadership Team". Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ Richard Preston (2003). The Demon in the Freezer. Random House. p. 216. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ Maryn McKenna (2008). Beating Back the Devil: On the Front Lines with the Disease Detectives of. Simon Schuster. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ Arnold M. Howitt & Robyn L. Pangi (2003). Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness. MIT Press. p. 112. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ HOWARD FENDRICH (January 3, 2010). "NFL to weigh rule changes after studying helmets". AP Online. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  11. 1 2 MARK MASKE (July 27, 2010). "NFL may opt for less hitting in practice". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ Anthony Cotton (August 28, 2005). "Dr. Thom Mayer". Denver Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ Darren Heitner (August 1, 2012). "Why Most NFL Teams And The NFLPA Have Escaped Being Named Defendants In NFL Concussion Litigation". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  14. ↑ "House committee criticizes NFL docs on head trauma". The Patriot Live. May 24, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ HOWARD FENDRICH (November 24, 2009). "NFL, union approve about half team neurologists". AP Online. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  16. ↑ Carina Storrs (November 27, 2009). "NFL gains yards in its treatment of players' head injuries". Scientific American. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ Mark Maske (February 20, 2010). "NFL considers rules changes to combat concussions". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  18. 1 2 Mark Maske (October 19, 2010). "Series of head injuries prompts NFL to crack down on illegal hits". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Group focuses on brain injuries ; Research, safety are top priorities". The Boston Globe. January 27, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ Richard Drew (May 24, 2010). "Concussions Football". AP Images. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  21. ↑ Mark Maske (November 5, 2008). "On Staph, a Second Opinion; NFL to Bring In Experts to Study League Response". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ Mark Maske (September 28, 2007). "Neck Injuries a Disturbing Reality; NFL Tries to Limit Risk, but Freak Accidents Remain". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  23. ↑ Mark Maske (August 14, 2011). "New contact rules haven't altered camps". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  24. ↑ Dave Skretta (August 11, 2011). "Is lockout to blame for NFL camp injuries?". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  25. ↑ Mark Maske (December 30, 2012). "Independent Neurologist Must Clear Robert Griffin I to Practice and Play". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  26. ↑ Mark Maske (September 13, 2007). "Everett 'Has a Long Way to Go'; Despite Regaining Some Movement in His Legs, Bills Tight End Faces Uncertain Road to Recovery". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  27. ↑ Sean Jensen (January 25, 2010). "Bear's death may prompt more tests at combine". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  28. ↑ Mark Maske (August 22, 2008). "Union Boss Led NFL's Explosive Growth". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  29. ↑ "James A. Hamilton Award Winners". American College of Healthcare Executives. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  30. ↑ Robert W. Strauss & Thom A. Mayer (2013). Strauss and Mayer’s Emergency Department Management. McGraw Hill Professional. p. 207. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
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