Multidisciplinary peer review is a key element of trauma performance improvement. One major challenge is creating a peer review process that does not overburden the specialty liaisons to the trauma service. If too many cases are referred to the trauma multidisciplinary PIPS committee, overwhelm sets in, liaisons become disengaged, and the quality of review breaks…
Author: Robert Fojut
In the 2022 revision of Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) made several key changes to response requirements for neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and interventional radiology. The biggest compliance challenge in most trauma centers is documenting specialist response times. This article was created by Trauma System News with…
Under rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a trauma center cannot bill for a trauma team activation (TTA) using the revenue code UB 68x unless it has received prehospital notification of patient arrival. But according to an expert in trauma center management, there is a permissible way to charge for a…
Requirements covering trauma registry management are spread throughout Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient: 2022 Standards. These requirements touch on everything from trauma registry staffing and registrar education to trauma data quality and data utilization. To help trauma program leaders manage compliance more effectively, this article brings together and summarizes everything that the…
Trauma care professionals are known for their dedication and discipline — but the best trauma teams also excel at resourcefulness and creative thinking. That is why Peregrine Health Services and Trauma System News are pleased to announce the inaugural Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation. The goal of the Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation is to…
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has released guidelines for screening trauma patients for mental health disorders and substance misuse. The long-awaited guidelines provide trauma program leaders with practical recommendations on how to help injured patients with alcohol and drug use problems as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. To download the new…
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has released the first update of Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient: 2022 Standards. The new December 2022 revision of the Resources Manual introduces several important changes. It expands the defined role of the trauma program manager, relaxes one aspect of the specialty coverage standard, provides a…
Trauma programs are struggling to retain experienced staff. Factors driving trauma staff turnover include higher trauma volumes, increased patient acuity, growing PI and registry backlogs, and trauma provider burnout. Recently, I asked trauma program managers in the Trauma System News subscriber community to share their best advice for improving staff retention. Their feedback was gathered…
Trauma programs face significant resource constraints, so performance improvement (PI) efforts should focus on issues that have the greatest impact on patient outcomes. According to a new study, the most promising target for trauma PI today is pneumonia prevention. The study was conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin and published…
The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (COT) has officially released Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient (2022 Standards). The release is the first major revision to ACS trauma center standards since 2014. To access a copy of the new standards, download or order the manual directly from the ACS. Resources for…