HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has been re-verified as a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS); a Chicago-based educational association of surgeons headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
To successfully complete the re-verification process, trauma centers are required to achieve each level of criteria during an on-site visit by two surveyors to the healthcare facility. Surveyors visited HRMC February 1-2 for two days of observation of the hospital’s response to trauma care.
Level III trauma centers do not have the full availability of specialists, but do have resources for emergency resuscitation, surgery, and intensive care of most trauma patients. Also, Level III trauma centers have transfer agreements with Level I or Level II centers that provide back up resources for the care of patients with exceptionally severe injuries.
According to a statement from the American College of Surgeons, the 30-year-old verification program promotes the development of trauma centers in which participating hospitals provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. The spectrum is designed to encompass the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process.