ECMC Trauma Center Receives State DOH Designation
Action follows American College of Surgeons verification of ECMC as a Level I trauma center
New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, M.D., J.D., recently designated ECMC as a Level I Adult Trauma Center. Commissioner Zucker confirmed the formal designation following the American College of Surgeons (ACS) verification in April of ECMC as a Level 1Trauma Center. That verification came as a result of a survey conducted by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the ACS. Both the ACS verification and the state DOH designation recognize the high level of quality care provided by ECMC’s dedicated caregivers to injured patients.
In his correspondence to ECMC President & CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., Ph.D., Dr. Zucker stated, “This is a significant achievement not only for your institution and for the New York Trauma System as a whole, but for the community you serve. This achievement indicates that your institution meets nationally-recognized standards in providing care to the most critically-injured patients and, equally important, that you monitor the care you provide and have a continuous process in place for improving that care.”
ECMC Corporation President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., Ph.D., said, “This designation by Commissioner Zucker confirms the earlier ACS verification and highlights the special position ECMC occupies in our region for providing the highest quality care for critically ill and injured patients. This is yet another validation of our remarkable Emergency Department caregivers who every day dedicate themselves to lifesaving care for the residents of Western New York.”
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants 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. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Revised Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.
The ACS Committee on Trauma’s verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.
There are five separate categories of verification in the COT’s program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification. Each hospital has an on-site review by a team of experienced site reviewers, who use the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.
ABOUT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER (ECMC) CORPORATION: The ECMC Corporation was established as a New York State Public Benefit Corporation and since 2004 has included an advanced academic medical center with 593 inpatient beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 30 outpatient specialty care services and Terrace View, a 390-bed long-term care facility. ECMC is Western New York’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, as well as a regional center for burn care, behavioral health services, transplantation, medical oncology and head & neck cancer care, rehabilitation and a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo. Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university and/or members of a private practice plan. More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and patient experiences—the difference between healthcare and true care™.