Performance improvement is a key part of every trauma program. But according to David Kashmer, MD, MBA, many trauma teams fail to make effective use of their most important PI resource — data. “Using data incorrectly in performance improvement can actually decrease quality,” said Dr. Kashmer, a trauma and acute care surgeon and healthcare quality…
Author: Robert Fojut
Older adults make up a growing percentage of trauma patients. In response, trauma centers worldwide are seeking ways to improve care for injured elders. At this year’s Annual Scientific Assembly of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), five teams presented research on geriatric trauma. Their findings point out several opportunities to improve…
Injury care leaders know that higher trauma center volume correlates with better patient outcomes. But what happens when a trauma center gains or loses patient volume over several years? The question is more than just academic. In many regions of the U.S., new trauma centers have cut into patient volumes at long-established trauma programs. In…
The theory of trauma performance improvement is relatively straightforward. Mastering the art of trauma PI can be much more challenging. Three trauma experts shared practical ideas for leading successful PI projects during a session at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Trauma Center Association of America. They discussed effective strategies for identifying PI cases, performing…
In recent decades, trauma care professionals have made significant progress in reducing the burden of injury. But according to Samir Fakhry, MD, chief of the division of general surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), there is one area that needs more attention — the treatment of mental and emotional health after discharge.…
How can you make your injury prevention program more effective? Leaders from three Level I trauma centers shared proven strategies for building a strong injury prevention program during a session at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Trauma Center Association of America. The speakers discussed ways to develop funding sources, build public support for IP…
Many trauma program managers and directors are unsure how trauma fits in the new world of value-based care. How do industry leaders and third-party payers define value? What can trauma programs do to increase the value of the care they provide? Quinn McKenna, chief operating officer at University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, addressed these and…
To many trauma leaders, the state of Florida illustrates the challenges of building a strong regional trauma system in an environment of competing interests. Yet according to John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS, the Florida experience shows how trauma stakeholders can work together to find balanced solutions to shared challenges. Dr. Armstrong is the former Florida…
Trauma programs depend on C-suite support for organizational and financial resources. That is why it is so important to understand the goals and priorities of hospital and health system executives. Three health system executives addressed this issue during a panel discussion at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Trauma Center Association of America (TCAA). The executives…
In June, a group of American trauma leaders issued a report that could reshape trauma care in the U.S. Under their proposal, civilian and military trauma providers would collaborate to improve trauma access for both civilians and soldiers while increasing national readiness for mass casualty events. The group’s recommendations are detailed in A National Trauma…