ANMC hospital reverified as Level II Trauma Center
February 11, 2019
The Alaska Native Medical Center was recently reverified as a Level II Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). ANMC was Alaska’s first Level II Trauma Center – first receiving verification in 1999. This achievement recognizes ANMC’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.
“Our performance in providing the best care possible for injured patients was reaffirmed by the American College of Surgeon’s Committee on Trauma,” said Dr. Frank Sacco, ANMC Chief of Surgery. “I am very proud of the work we do and the commitment of everyone involved, from the frontline personnel, to our board and administration.”
ANMC is one of two Anchorage hospitals providing the highest level of trauma care and services in Alaska, and is the referral center for every Tribal health facility in the state. ANMC offers a wide range of trauma care services. It admits between 900-950 trauma patients per year, and approximately 8,000-9,000 trauma patients are treated and discharged in the Emergency Department each year.
ANMC was again recognized as a leader in the development of a statewide trauma system. The reviewers stated in their report, “It is clear that this program provides trauma leadership for much of the entire state.” ANMC’s expansion of services to better care for patients with thermal injuries (burns and frostbite) was also cited as a strength of the trauma program.
Achieving reverification means ANMC voluntarily meets criteria that improve the standard of care as outlined by the ACS COT’s (www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma) current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual. Established by ACS 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.
The ACS COT’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. In Alaska, the actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
ANMC is also a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, receiving that verification in 2018.