Brackenridge Re-Verified As Central Texas’ Only Level I Trauma Center For Adults

After meeting rigorous criteria, trauma care at University Medical Center Brackenridge has been re-verified for the next three years as Level I – the highest level attainable – by the Verification Review Committee (VRC) of the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma (COT).

This achievement recognizes UMC Brackenridge’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured and ailing patients throughout Central Texas. UMC Brackenridge is operated by Seton Healthcare Family, which is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health care system.

UMC Brackenridge serves adult trauma patients in 11 counties. Seton’s Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, also a Seton hospital, is the only pediatric Level I trauma center serving a 46-county region surrounding Austin and is one of four in Texas.

Established in 1987, the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers that provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address all injured patient needs.

This encompasses the pre-hospital phase through rehabilitation. Verified trauma centers must meet essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

There are five separate verification categories in the COT program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a hospital seeking that level of verification. Each hospital undergoes an on-site review by a team of experienced site reviewers.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has more than 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.

The College’s Committee on Trauma, established in 1922, works to improve all phases of care for the injured patient and to prevent injuries before they occur. It requires the commitment of each hospital’s surgeons to the improvement of trauma care.

The Verification/Consultation Program for Hospitals was established in 1987. There are five separate categories of verification in the COT’s program: Level I Trauma Center, Level II Trauma Center, Level III Trauma Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, each with specific criteria.