HCA Healthcare has more trauma centers than any other system in the country, providing more data and experience to inform best practices.
When someone is severely injured in the U.S., there’s a good chance they are treated at an HCA Healthcare trauma center. That’s because
HCA Healthcare has the largest trauma care system in the country, with 105 trauma centers treating more than 176,000 patients annually, from Alaska to Florida. Such an expansive network yields invaluable data that’s shared with state trauma agencies, the national trauma data repository and the American College of Surgeons. These collaborations help drive valuable research and raise the bar of quality care. Tracy McDonald, vice president of Trauma Burn and Reconstructive Surgery, HCA Healthcare, in Nashville, Tennessee, understands the numerous benefits of operating at this scale.
“It allows us to do some amazing things that nobody else has the capabilities to do,” Tracy explains.
Research, quality, technology and training surgeons are all areas
HCA Healthcare is able to excel in due to our reach and resources. The combination of these factors results in delivering the best trauma care available.
“The HCA Healthcare centers that provide trauma care have put forth enormous amounts of resources and effort to make those centers truly centers ofexcellence for trauma patients,” says Kaysie Banton, MD, MHA, Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado. “Those patients receive the best personnel, the latest technology, the best responses and the best quality care they could receive in those regions of the U.S.”
HCA Healthcare’s trauma centers strive to deliver the best chance of healing and recovery, from the moment a patient is admitted to the moment they’re discharged.
“We do it better because we have a reputation to uphold,” she says. “We strive to continue to do it better than anybody else.”
The HCA Healthcare centers that provide trauma care have put forth enormous amounts of resources and effort to make those centers truly centers of excellence for trauma patients. Those patients receive the best personnel, the latest technology, the best responses and the best quality care they could receive in those regions of the U.S.— Kaysie Banton, MD, MHA, Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado
Access to real-time data lends valuable insight
Another benefit of being part of the nation’s largest trauma care network is having access to real-time data. HCA Healthcare leverages technology to provide its trauma centers with access to a shared database, allowing clinical groups to immediately troubleshoot and identify trends.
HCA Healthcare collects data locally and then centralizes it for easy access across the enterprise.
“We monitor quality trends. I can see on a day-to-day basis if there’s a mortality uptick or a complication uptick in a certain facility and what our trends look like in our key quality indicators,” Tracy says.
A national benchmarking program, the Trauma Quality Improvement Program, or TQIP, tracks data through the American College of Surgeons. TQIP reports are released twice annually to all trauma centers, but
HCA Healthcare has the technology to model these reports so that results are observed in real time.
“No other organization can do that. It’s unique to HCA Healthcare,” says Tracy. “Nobody else would have this power of expertise across the organization.”
If troubling trends are observed in trauma patients, teams across the enterprise, such as the physician or trauma nurse advisory councils, can develop solutions and implement them across the organization quickly.
“We’re able to respond to these trends very fast and prevent further harm or improve outcomes for patients in real time,” Tracy says.
The database can also identify success stories. If a top-performing trauma center emerges, that facility can share best practices and learnings throughout HCA Healthcare. Real-time trends can also often lead to more research and publications.
As a Trauma Survivors Network hospital, HCA Healthcare’s Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California hosts an event each year to celebrate and support survivors of traumatic injuries and their caregivers during National Trauma Survivors Day.
Research-guided trauma care yields quality patient outcomes
Research is an integral component of
HCA Healthcare’s trauma program. The Center for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Research in Nashville functions as a clearinghouse for the trauma research taking place across HCA Healthcare. Each Level 1 trauma center has its own research program, which contributes to the larger database in Nashville.
This allows HCA Healthcare to conduct multicenter research, using data collected from hundreds of thousands of trauma patient encounters.
“We leverage data, and the information that we gain is applied to our facilities,” Tracy explains. “We advise them on changes that they can make, guidelines that they can follow, different resources that they need. I think this is an example of how research and quality go hand in hand.”
The HCA Healthcare trauma system publishes more than 20 peer-reviewed evidence-based studies annually. Such a body of work allows
HCA Healthcare to leverage those experiences to address any quality concerns that arise.
Clinical training and development
An integral part of quality trauma care is the training and development of surgeons, nurses and future trauma leaders. HCA Healthcare, which is the largest provider of graduate medical education in the country, placed more than 300 emergency medicine residents in more than 10 programs throughout the organization, as of January 2023. Additionally, nearly 400 general surgery residents were placed in over 17 programs.
“HCA Healthcare is training the majority of tomorrow’s general surgeons and trauma surgeons out there,” Tracy says. “The surgeon population right now is aging, and there is no way that the country could keep up with the need for new surgeons without our HCA Healthcare training sites. It’s really giving back to the medical community.”
HCA Healthcare trauma programs also train nurses, EMTs, firefighters and paramedics in emergency departments and elsewhere in hospitals. A new leadership series launching this year will train future trauma leaders, educating anyone interested in trauma leadership or in roles such as trauma program manager or quality improvement specialist. There are also mentoring programs for those new to their roles in trauma care.
Sean Hall, paraglider, trauma survivor and guest speaker at Trauma Survivors Day.
Trauma Survivors Day
The Trauma Survivors Day celebration at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado, is a chance for former patients like Sean Hall to share their stories and thank their lifesaving care teams. Sean, a paraglider, survived a 30 foot fall in 2016 that left him with severe injuries throughout his body. There are countless people to thank, Sean said that day. Usually, you don’t get to meet them, but this event makes it possible, he said.
Trauma Survivors Day also honors those who provide exceptional care. Three colleagues were honored with Excellence in Trauma Care Awards: Shelly Verdos, CNC, a 16-year multi-trauma unit (MTU) veteran; Alyssa Workman, RN, Trauma ICU; and Alexandria Latulipe, PA SCP. They were recognized for their kindness, compassion, selflessness and patient advocacy.
Humans weren’t the only ones recognized this year. Bridger Blue, a therapy mini horse, was a big hit with attendees. His handler is a Swedish Medical Center trauma survivor, a former colleague and the event’s guest speaker last year.
