Designation Rules

420-2-2-.03 Trauma Center Designation

Types of Designation

• Regular Designation - A regular designation may be issued by the Board after it has determined that an applicant hospital has met all requirements to be designated as a trauma center at the level applied for and is otherwise in substantial compliance with these rules.
• Provisional Designation - At its discretion, the Board may issue a provisional designation to an applicant hospital that has met all requirements to be designated as a trauma center at the level applied for, with exception to minor deviations from those requirements that do not impact patient care or the operation of a trauma region.

1. The provisional designation may be used for an initial designation or for an interim change in designation status to a lower level due to a trauma center's temporary loss of a component necessary to maintain a higher designation level.

2. A trauma center must submit a written corrective plan and interim operation plan for the provisional designation period including a timeline for corrective action to the Office of EMS and Trauma within 30 days of receiving a provisional designation.

3. A provisional designation shall not extend beyond 15 months.

4. A trauma center may submit a written request to the Office of EMS and Trauma that a provisional designation be removed once all components of its corrective plan have been achieved. Following its receipt of such request, the Department will conduct a focused survey of the trauma center. A regular designation shall be granted in the event it is confirmed that all components of the corrective plan have been achieved.

Trauma Center Designation Process

Within 30 days of receipt of the application, the Department shall provide written notification to the applicant hospital of the following:

• The application has been received by the Department.
• The application has been accepted or rejected by the Department.
• The Department has scheduled a date for the hospital inspection, if the application was accepted.
• The Department has sent reasons for application rejection and a deadline for submission of the corrected "Application for Trauma Center Designation."

If the application is accepted by the Alabama Department of Public Health, Office of EMS, the following Trauma Care Center classification process will proceed:

• The Alabama Trauma Center Designation Packet will be sent to the facility from ADPH two months prior to visit.
• Facility is to complete the Pre-Review questionnaire one month prior to scheduled visit.
• Pre-Review Questionnaire to be sent to site reviewers (per ADPH) two weeks prior to scheduled visit.

The Trauma Center post-survey visit process will proceed as listed below:

• The survey report will be completed within two weeks after the facility visit.
• A State and Regional review of the report and a recommendation for designation will take place 60 calendar days after the facility visit.
• The State will report the recommendations to the facility within eight weeks of the visit.
• A focus visit will be scheduled as needed with the timeframe determined by the ADPH Trauma Staff.

Levels of Designation

There shall be three levels of trauma center designation. The criteria of each level is set out in Appendix A of the Alabama Trauma and Health System Rules. Out-of-state hospitals requesting to be a designated hospital in the Alabama Trauma and Health System will follow the same process as outlined in 420-2-2-.03. Out-of-state hospitals will be required to meet the same standards as Alabama hospitals and follow the same survey and reporting processes.

Appendix A of the Alabama Trauma and Health System Rules