Mattice believes those numbers are ‘typical of what a Level II would see, and that’s about four to five hundred major injuries a year,? she said. Independence Township’s EMS transported 484 patients with life-threatening injuries to nearby hospitals in 2012. Would a Level II Trauma center be appropriate for Independence Township? Typically, Level I centers are research focused and often established within a university setting, which offers residency and fellowship programs. ‘In what we look at in site review, a Level I is more of an academic center,? said Mattice. What makes a Trauma II center different from a Trauma I?
In short, ‘It is quite a rigorous process to go through? and ‘won’t be done overnight,? said Mattice. ‘It is a process of showing how you manage and address trauma care,? said Mattice.Ī Trauma II hospital retains its designation for three years, and then it can renew its classification. It must have performance improvement plans in place and must undergo a site review. In order to earn a trauma II designation, a hospital must collect a year’s worth of data, which shows the health facility has offered quality trauma care. ‘From start to finish probably takes three to five years,? said Mattice. Once all the equipment is approved by the state and the emergency department is up and running, the process of reaching a trauma level can begin. To acquire CAT Scan machines and other similar tools, McLaren would need the approval of the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) through another Certificate of Need (CON) application. Mattice notes developing these resources is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor.
Services present at a Trauma II Center include a neurosurgical team, an orthopedic specialist, rehabilitation specialties, CAT Scan availability, Radiology, plastics, and much more. The hospital’s emergency offerings would be available twenty-four hours a day and 365 days a year.
TRAUMA CENTER LEVELS MICHIGAN VERIFICATION
‘To be a level II, you’re going to have to go through the American College of Surgeons verification process,? said Mattice.Īccording to Mattice, a Trauma II center offers ‘a broad spectrum of services for your emergency department,? she said. To find out how a hospital earns this designation, The Clarkston News spoke to Connie Mattice, a site reviewer for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and recently retired from Michigan’s State Trauma Advisory Council (STAC).Įvery state has a system of designating trauma levels for health facilities, and in Michigan the ACS inspects hospitals and determines if they are Trauma level I, II, III, or IV. Current plans for the $300 million McLaren hospital project in Clarkston ensure the facility will be on track to become a Level II Trauma Center.