![]() NIKKI: But there’s also the golden hour argument, that more trauma centers means patients will get access to specialists faster.ĪBE: Absolutely. Is there a concern that patients could be hit with these fees at the new centers?ĪBE: There was some legislation filed in 2014 to curb these fees, but it ultimately failed, so that is a concern I’m hearing. NIKKI: A Tampa Bay Times investigation last year found huge fees, sometimes as high as $34,000, at HCA-owned trauma facilities. “Typically individuals who have limited or nor health insurance, therefore become uncompensated or bad debt for the hospital, and are very expensive cases.” ![]() “Because of its inner city location, it will tend to draw and receive what has euphemistically been referred to as the gun and knife club,” Carroll said. Hospital analyst Michael Carroll says this could put Orlando Regional Medical Center in a tough place. These patients are often have insurance, which make them desirable. Existing trauma centers worry that the new centers will siphon off patients and the doctors and surgeons and nurses who treat them will lose proficiency.ĪBE: Yeah, these two new trauma centers are in more suburban areas and are more likely to get car accidents and falls, the blunt trauma. It’s very expensive to operate and staff these trauma centers, we’re talking tens of millions of dollars. That doesn’t seem like a lot.ĪBE: No, and that’s the reason why there was so much rancor over this. NIKKI: Four thousand patients in an areas with 2-point-3 million people. And that’s in an area that’s 4,000 square miles covering five counties. In Central Florida, there were 4,400 trauma patients, and about 1,000 were severely injured patients. NIKKI: Give us a sense of scale: How many people does this impact?ĪBE: Statewide, there were almost 50,000 trauma patients in 2013. And Level One trauma centers have requirements to do research and education, and are usually paired up with burn centers. But a Level I has to have the surgeons physically at the hospital at all times, where a Level IIhas to have them on call. So what’s the difference between a Level One and a Level Two center?ĪBE: So both levels of trauma centers have to have trauma surgeons available 24-7-365, and have a stable of specialists on call. NIKKI: These new trauma centers are Level II trauma centers. ![]() If you get shot, if you get stabbed, if you wreck your motorcycle or get in a nasty car accident, you’re going to need surgery and highly specialized care to handle that. They’re staffed to deal with major, major trauma. NIKKI: Well let’s start with the basics: What is a trauma center and how is it different from a typical ER?ĪBE: Trauma centers are emergency rooms on steroids. All these trauma centers in the state started seeing patients this week. These are both owned by for-profit hospital system HCA. But that’s not the case anymore.ĪBE: No, we now have Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee and Central Florida Regional in Sanford opening Level II trauma centers. NIKKI: Historically, there’s been one trauma center in Central Florida, and that’s Orlando Regional Medical Center. For years, hospitals in Florida have been fighting over the right to add new trauma centers. That fight came to an end this week, as four new trauma centers opened in Florida: One in Miami, one in Sarasota, and two in Central Florida.ĩ0.7 Health Reporter Abe Aboraya spoke with Morning Edition Host Nicole Creston: ![]()
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