Trauma centers need to maintain a concurrent trauma registry. For ACS-verified centers, that means at least 80% of trauma cases must be entered in the registry within 60 days of patient discharge. In many hospitals, however, the trauma registry is months behind on chart abstraction. Hiring more staff is usually not an option, so how…
Author: Robert Fojut
How do you run a trauma performance improvement and patient safety (PIPS) program? Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient spells out detailed program requirements, and other resources provide a good theoretical framework for managing the PIPS process. But according to Michael McGonigal, MD, bridging the gap between theory and practice can be…
The Orange Book has been in force for a little over half a year. How are trauma centers doing under the new criteria? Recently, Trauma System News interviewed Ronald M. Stewart, MD, FACS, chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT), and Rosemary Ann Kozar, MD, PhD, FACS, chair of the ACS Verification Review Committee…
Maintaining a full team of trauma physicians is harder than ever. The challenges include physician shortages, increasing service requirements and the growing problem of physician burnout. This free guide shows trauma program leaders how to: Find and evaluate strong trauma surgeon candidates Avoid the “red flags” that signal potential recruiting mistakes Make the case for additional trauma…
Research shows that trauma care professionals are at high risk for burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. These conditions can negatively affect job performance, relationships and quality of life, and they raise the risk of substance abuse, depression and suicide. How can trauma providers maintain their mental health in an environment of…
A Business Intelligence (BI) system is an information system that integrates data from across an organization to enable better decision-making. Most BI systems include performance dashboards with powerful reporting and analytic capabilities. But while BI dashboards are common in healthcare, they are almost unknown in trauma. Recently, however, a large Colorado healthcare system has developed…
Most trauma registrars learn their job from their coworkers. New hires may attend a few classes, but they are largely expected to learn the ropes from other registrars. The problem with this approach is that it perpetuates registry errors. This free guide from himagine solutions presents 3 practical strategies for giving trauma registrars accurate and effective…
Trauma registries are key to improving trauma center performance and system outcomes. But is the underlying data reliable? Recently, investigators from several centers studied interhospital variability and accuracy in data coding and scoring by registrars. The results — published in the September issue of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery — suggest that…
An innovative bleeding control system developed for the U.S. military has recently been approved for civilian use. The device — known as XStat — uses tiny injectable sponges to provide hemostatic pressure within wound cavities. The system is designed to stop severe bleeding in areas of the body that are difficult to compress or to…
In a surprising reversal, University of Chicago Medicine has announced that it will build a new adult Level I trauma center at its main Hyde Park campus. In September, UC unveiled a plan to develop a trauma center at Holy Cross Hospital in partnership with Sinai Health System. UC Medicine now intends to build the trauma…