Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center announced its reaffirmed status as a Level I Trauma center, the highest ranking a medical center can obtain, maintaining its position as the only Level I facility in New Hampshire.
The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma assigns medical centers to one of four different levels after a review process that occurs every three years.
"Level I centers place a greater emphasis on being a regional resource instead of a local facility," Jason Aldous, media coordinator of the DHMC, said. He added that the most visible aspect of the DHMC's leadership in serving regional trauma cases is its Dart Service helicopter fleet.
The American College of Surgeons requires that "all patients who require the resources of a Level I center should have access to it."
DHMC shares its grade with 44 other medical facilities in the United States. Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vt., is the only other Level I center in northern New England; Maine has no Level I centers. And DHMC is one of only two academic medical centers in the country that is not located in a major metropolitan area.
"By default, these facts make us a leading facility in the state and the region," Aldous said.
Though the center has held this status for several years, Aldous said that re-verification was still a substantial accomplishment.
"It was expected but not a given. We were subject to a rigorous process that reviewed the clinical side and the administrative side," Aldous said. Filing, records and databases had to be reviewed in addition to clinical procedures.
"Although it is a difficult process, I think that it is a good one because it forces accountability," he said.
As a Level I center, DHMC offers comprehensive care for complex pediatric and adult trauma cases. To meet this standard, DHMC needed to show that it is able to administer high caliber total care for all stages of injury, from prevention through rehabilitation.
The title also requires a center to provide leadership in education, research and system planning for all other medical facilities in the region. The Trauma Program at DHMC facilitates communication between physicians and nurses and coordinates the activities of emergency medical services. The program also monitors patient outcomes in an attempt to foster improvement in quality of care, maintains a database of trauma cases at DHMC and provides continuing education opportunities for trauma professionals in the region.
The medical center hosts community events to increase awareness about health issues and support groups for patients and their loved ones. These programs include infant CPR classes, pancreatic cancer support groups and a Friday night film series for Sexual Violence Awareness month this April.
A 2006 study conducted by DHMC and the Leapfrog Group, a company focused on the quality and affordability of healthcare, found that overall satisfaction with the Emergency Department was 84 percent, and that overall satisfaction with hospital stays of adult patients at DHMC was 86 percent.
