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Health officials: Indiana needs more trauma centers

Associated Press
November 12, 2012
Keywords
Health Care, Health Care & Insurance, Health Care & Life Sciences, Health Care Providers, Hospitals
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Health officials developing a statewide trauma system say Indiana needs more trauma centers.

The State Department of Health says Commissioner Gregory Larkin and the agency's trauma prevention experts finished a statewide listening tour with the realization they face much work in creating a statewide trauma system as 41 other states have.

The agency says only 58 percent of Indiana residents live within 45 minutes of one of Indiana's eight trauma centers certified by the American College of Surgeons. Three are in Indianapolis, with two each in Fort Wayne and Evansville and one in South Bend.

Traumatic injuries are the top killer of Hoosiers under age 45. Injuries hospitalize more than 32,000 people each year due to injuries. About 3,700 injuries resulted in death in 2009, the most recent data available.

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    tomNovember 13, 2012 11:09 AM
    the government subsidizes trauma centers as being a trauma center is a public service and you have to have enormous resources (surgeons, anesthesiologists, or nurses, etc) available 24hrs/day. all of these people have to be in house whether they are working or not and it is very expensive so many hospitals that don't expect a high volume of trauma can't afford to pay all of these people. the economics are nothing like you are thinking jon b. most hospitals would prefer to never have anything to do with trauma. only after being either forced or incentivized by the government do most hospitals become trauma centers. note here that trauma centers don't mean broken bones and things like that. we're talking gun shot wounds, knifings, motor vehicle accidents, etc.
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  • Why
    Jon BNovember 12, 2012 1:09 PM
    Why would a trauma center open additional locations? That would cut into their business model, with more overhead and expense. This is a fundamental issue America has with "for profit" healthcare.
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