Rural Trauma Center Collaboratives

A state or regional trauma system is a structured network designed to ensure timely and appropriate care for injured patients. A trauma system typically includes four or five levels of trauma designation. Level I and Level II trauma centers (referred to as "higher-level trauma centers") are typically located in large cities and major metropolitan areas. Level III, Level IV, and Level V trauma centers (referred to as “lower-level trauma centers”) are typically located in small towns and rural communities. While lower-level trauma centers may not have the same resources as a higher-level trauma center, they play a critical role in initial triage, stabilization, and transfer of injured patients.

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Despite their importance, lower-level trauma centers often operate with limited financial, analytic, and administrative infrastructure. They also have limited access to data benchmarking and few opportunities to interact with similar trauma centers. Diligent Consulting offers a Rural Trauma Center Collaborative consulting service to strengthen these trauma centers across a state or region. Through a Collaborative approach, rural trauma centers receive short-term, focused assessment and mentorship to better understand their trauma program’s financial performance and improve clinical operations.

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Who Is This For?

The Rural Trauma Collaborative is designed for Level III, IV, or V trauma centers in small towns or rural areas of the country. Hospitals participate in cohorts, usually made up of no more than 4-6 trauma centers, to promote engagement and individualized attention and analysis. We suggest that hospital cohorts are comprised of hospitals from similar regions, trauma levels, or other unifying characteristics (e.g., geography, prevalent injury mechanism).

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What Is Included in Rural Trauma Center Collaborative Consulting Services?

We take a structured, hands-on approach to design, implement, and manage short-term Rural Trauma Collaboratives.

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Stakeholder Engagement

Hospital and trauma leaders from cohort hospitals have the opportunity to participate in the Collaborative and interact with the other facilities during the project. They also get access to trauma consultants with expertise in rural trauma, performance improvement, and trauma center designation.

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Targeted Financial Analysis

Each participating trauma center works directly with Diligent Consulting to analyze their facility’s trauma finance data. Diligent Consulting’s proprietary financial model accounts for trauma readiness costs, payor mix, reimbursement rates, revenue, and overall profitability. The financial model also allows each hospital to complete ongoing sensitivity analysis under different scenarios (e.g. increased volumes, shifts in payor mix) to see how financial performance could change in the future. Recommendations and opportunities for improvement are identified for each trauma center and provided in a written, confidential report.

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Guided Gap Analysis

The trauma centers conduct a guided gap analysis of their trauma program by reviewing state standards and previous trauma designation results, using a template and process provided by Diligent Consulting.

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Collaborative Quality Improvement (QI)

Using the cumulative results from the guided gap analyses, the Collaborative collectively determines which problems they wish to solve as a group. Diligent Consulting provides oversight and guidance to model performance improvement for the participating trauma centers, and subject matter experts are involved in meetings to share best practice advice and recommendations. Examples of QI initiatives could include:

• Conducting initial pediatric readiness assessment or addressing pediatric readiness weaknesses from a previous assessment

• Improving EMS triage, reducing ED length of stay prior to transfer, and expediting the inter-facility transfer process

• Creating new geriatric hospital policies/guidelines

• Increasing physician/staff training or educational opportunities

• Implementing evidence-based injury prevention education and outreach

• Identifying telehealth technologies and/or partnerships with higher-level trauma centers

• Establishing trauma registry efficiency improvements​

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​How Can Diligent Consulting Help?

Diligent Consulting is uniquely qualified to form and facilitate Rural Trauma Center Collaboratives due to its specialized expertise in trauma system evaluation, trauma center operations and optimization, and trauma designation requirements. Reach out today to learn more!