Soin earns provisional trauma designation

Soin Medical Center in Beavercreek has been designated a provisional Level III trauma center by the state, its parent network announced Wednesday.

In Ohio, a hospital must undergo two reviews by the American College of Surgeons — one for the provisional designation, and the second for the permanent designation.

Level III is the least intensive designation for trauma care. Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, operated by Premier Health Partners, is the Dayton region’s only Level I center, which can provide the most intense care including neurosurgery.

The designation means the Soin Medical Center, part of the Kettering Health Network, can provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, emergency surgery and stabilization and care for trauma cases with admission to the hospital if necessary. The hospital can also arrange transportation to a higher-level trauma center if necessary.

The designation largely refers to what patients need after they leave the emergency department, said Peggy Doyle, Soin’s administrative director of nursing.

“In the ED, we can handle any kind of trauma,” Doyle said. Level III centers are required to be able to handle orthopedic cases, including multiple broken bones and most surgeries.

Patients requiring neurosurgery or other higher-level procedures, including those requiring surgery for complicated injuries involving multiple systems, would be transported to a higher-level center, either a Level I or II facility, she said.

The provisional designation announced Wednesday will be followed by a second review by surgeons from the American College of Surgeons within 18 months, Doyle said. The second review will include looking at how specific cases were handled, documentation of care, performance improvement plans, staff training, procedures for care and the hospital facility itself, she said.

Kettering also operates Greene Memorial Hospital Center in Xenia, a verified Level III trauma center, and Kettering Medical Center, a provisional Level II trauma center.

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