Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center recently became the newest American College of Surgeons-verified level one trauma center in the United States.
It is the only adult trauma center in Memphis with this prestigious designation, which means it meets stringent guidelines for patient care.
As the Mid-South’s designated level one trauma center, Regional One Health plays a crucial role in providing lifesaving care for the most critically injured patients in our community.
As the region’s level one adult trauma center, Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center is well-known in Memphis and the Mid-South for the lifesaving care it provides in times of crisis.
Now, that reputation has been confirmed by the most elite method available: The Elvis Presley Trauma Center is the newest American College of Surgeons-verified level one trauma center in the United States and the only adult hospital in Memphis with the prestigious designation.
ACS officials visited Regional One Health in August for the conclusion of a detailed review process. They awarded the trauma center a three-year verification with no deficiencies – an impressive outcome that is a credit to the dedication of the trauma center team and support from Regional One Health leadership.
“ACS verification is the gold standard in trauma care,” said Josh Dugal, vice president of Trauma and Burn Services. “By being verified, you’re being held to the highest standards of trauma care in the United States regardless of what state the center is located in. It is the highest possible achievement for a trauma program.”
“Our goal was to measure ourselves against the national leaders. We already have a national and international reputation as a fantastic trauma program, and we wanted to prove that we’re as good as everyone says we are. This is that final, objective validation.”
“It elevates us to an elite group of hospitals,” said Andrew Kerwin, MD, FACS, Chief of Trauma and Medical Director for the Elvis Presley Trauma Center. “There are around 200 level one trauma centers in the country, and a lot of the verified facilities are in academic medical centers. As Regional One Health works toward building an academic medical center, it’s important that our trauma center is in that same group.”
“It elevates us to an elite group of hospitals,” said Andrew Kerwin, MD, FACS, Chief of Trauma and Medical Director for the Elvis Presley Trauma Center. “As Regional One Health works toward building an academic medical center, it’s important that our trauma center is in that same group.”
The Elvis Presley Trauma Center opened in 1983 and is the state-designated trauma center for Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. While state designation ensures that a facility meets state regulations for providing quality care and operations, it doesn’t go as far as ACS verification.
“With the ACS, the standards are completely objective and more clinically robust because they’re written by clinicians,” Dugal said. “They go above and beyond anything the states would ask for. It means that Regional One Health provides the highest level of trauma care available.”
Elvis Presley Trauma Center staff started working toward verification several years ago. Trauma centers must present a wealth of documentation regarding their patient care, procedures, protocols, and clinical practice guidelines.
They submitted nearly 500 documents covering a range of topics, including the physical layout of the trauma center, engagement with state trauma systems, administrative and medical leadership, injury prevention and public education programs, performance improvement staffing, clinical practice guidelines, response time, provider training, research activity, and more.
ACS reviewers reviewed the documentation and also toured the trauma center. In the end, they found the facility meets all of their standards with no deficiencies.
Dr. Kerwin said that success comes from a true team effort.
“It’s not just the trauma surgeons, it’s the subspecialists in anesthesia, orthopedics, neurosurgery, radiology, etc. who care for patients. Having them readily available at a moment’s notice is what separates us,” he said. “We also have incredible nurses. They go through extra education to take care of trauma patients, and that also differentiates us from community hospitals.”
Dugal noted the verification process not only highlighted those strengths, it also helped make sure they’ll always be in place. “Going through the process made us better,” he said. “It moved us from people-driven to process-driven. We’ve always done things the right way, but this journey helped us make sure that’s the way it is always done because of strengthened policies and procedures.”
“ACS verification is the gold standard in trauma care,” said Josh Dugal, vice president of Trauma and Burn Services. “By being verified, you’re being held to the highest standards of trauma care in the United States regardless of what state the center is located in.”
While the excellent result is a source of pride, it is by no means the end of the constant effort to grow and improve.
ACS verification is a three-year cycle, meaning the trauma team will go through a re-verification survey in 2028. They’ll start working on documentation long before that and are immediately focusing on areas of improvement highlighted by the ACS.
The ACS provided a checklist that includes improving administrative support for the research process, blood bank reporting after massive transfusion activations, pediatric readiness, timeliness of CT scan reporting, and mental health screening for personnel who are part of difficult situations.
“We’re always looking to see how we can do things better so when the next patient comes in we’re ready to give them the best possible outcome,” Dr. Kerwin said. “We’re always learning. We’re always using data to look for ways to improve.”
As Regional One Health works toward building a new, modernized hospital to meet the community’s needs for generations, Dugal and Dr. Kerwin said the trauma center’s ACS trauma verification is an important step in the right direction.
“There is data that shows this achievement impacts not only the trauma program, but the entire hospital by elevating quality throughout the system,” Dr. Kerwin said.
“When we focus on our quality indicators, it has an effect for the rest of the services we provide and shows our commitment to moving toward being a full academic medical center. I’m proud of the commitment the hospital made to the trauma program and the residents we serve. It means a lot to our patients, the city, and the region.”
The Elvis Presley Trauma Center is the only adult level one trauma center in a 150-mile radius of Memphis. A multispecialty team of experts is available 24/7 to treat the most critically injured patients from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and parts of Missouri.