Print Friendly and PDF

Trauma Center Downgrade

“Our goal is to save lives and improve quality of life. The regional trauma and emergency system will better integrate our highly-skilled trauma experts in Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City, with EMS, helicopter transport and our other emergency departments across the region to ensure assessment and rapid transport of patients to the center most appropriate for the patient’s needs.”
— Dr. Jerry Blackwell, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Ballad Health

Downgrading or Closing a Trauma Center is a Serious Decision

Trauma care is expensive, and some hospitals are in situations where they must consider if they can afford to continue offering trauma services. Administrators may be considering downgrading the hospital’s level of trauma designation or closing the trauma program altogether. This could be due to a system merger that includes multiple trauma centers, because a facility cannot meet verification requirements for their current level, or because the financial picture is dire. B+A is equipped to facilitate a comprehensive analysis to determine the short- and long-term implications of such a decision.

Decreasing the level of a trauma center or withdrawing a trauma center from the trauma system can have huge impact on patients and the community. Downgrading or closing a program is also bound to have financial, human resources, and emotional implications for a hospital. As such, our approach works directly with hospital staff to assess and plan for the impact of the decision. B+A has been involved with several trauma center downgrade assessments, including the Ballad Health Trauma Center Reconfiguration.

Components of the Project

The components of a typical trauma center downgrade differ by trauma level and goal (lower level or closure) but may include the following:

  • Organization of a trauma center steering committee to lead the process and ensure hospital administrators are informed at each step of the process.

  • Analysis of the regional trauma market to determine the impact of increased trauma volumes at nearby trauma centers, as well as the potential implication on patients having to travel farther for trauma care.

  • Execution of a sequential and orderly process for making the change, including a timeline and communication plan.

  • Creation of a marketing and communication strategy to ensure internal and external audiences (including EMS and referral facilities) are informed about the lower-level trauma center.

  • Collaboration with hospital financial department assess and plan for the financial implications of downgrade/closure.