STATEWIDE TRAUMA SYSTEM
Level 4 Trauma Hospital Designation
Process
Problem Statement
Level 4 hospitals spend considerable time preparing a designation application every three
years. Twelve to 18 months later they then spend additional time preparing for their site visit.
Before the site visit, some of the application materials are outdated and must be updated in
order to provide the site visit team with current information ahead of the site visit. Similarly,
the STAC effectively reviews the hospitals’ trauma programs twice during the designation cycle:
once for the application and once for the site visit, which results in duplicative work.
Proposal
The STAC Applicant Review Committee (ARC) proposes to change the level 4 designation
process to mirror the level 3 designation process. Thus, level 4 trauma hospitals would make
application for designation, undergo a site visit, and then be considered by the STAC for a
designation recommendation. This would allow level 4s to prepare materials—and the STAC to
evaluate materials—for the trauma system verification process only once during the hospitals’
three-year designation rather than twice.
Benefits of the proposal are:
▪
Clearer and timelier information about hospitals’ trauma programs – The STAC is able to
review current data about how a trauma hospital is functioning before making a
recommendation to the commissioner; they do not have to rely on outdated material for
their evaluation.
▪
Streamlined processes and improved efficiencies – Both hospital and trauma system staff
have only to prepare and review materials once; and the Applicant Review Committee and
STAC only need to discuss the materials once.
Challenges of the proposal are:
▪
Approximately ten hospitals’ designation expiration dates would have to be modified so
that there is an even distribution of site visits each year across the system. This is necessary
to maintain consistency in the demands on the trauma system budget and workflow.
▪
It requires a statutory change.
LEVEL 4 TRAUMA HOSPITAL DESIGNATION PROCESS
Opposition
No opposition has been declared to date.
Cost
There is no cost to implementing the policy as proposed.
Minnesota Department of Health
Statewide Trauma System
PO Box 64882, St. Paul, MN 551640882
651-201-3841
[email protected]
2
September 2015