Introduction to the Five Levels of Trauma Centers
An experienced healthcare executive, John N. Kastanis serves as a consultant from his own firm, JNK Consulting. Immediately prior, he led University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, as president and CEO. In this capacity, John N. Kastanis spent two years overseeing this acute-care teaching facility, northern New Jersey’s only Level 1 trauma center. In the United States, trauma centers are divided into five categories depending on their capabilities for providing emergency care to patients. Below is a brief description of each of these categories: Level I Open 24/7, Level I trauma centers handle all injuries. They operate as both a research and teaching hospital, and offer care in such specialties as orthopedic surgery, internal medicine, and pediatric care. Such facilities typically admit at least 1,200 patients a year. Level II In many ways, level II trauma centers operate just like level I centers; however, they do not have teaching or research capabilities. Such facilities are still open 24 hours and keep an anesthesiologist and general/trauma surgeon on staff. Level III Surgeons are on-call at Level III trauma centers, but they are not available 24 hours a day as at Level I and II centers. The same is true of OR staff and anesthesiologists. While they don’t have to be at the facility, these staff members must be within 30 minutes of the center to provide care as necessary. Community and rural hospitals often rely on Level III trauma centers as back-up. Level IV Advanced trauma life support (ATLS) is available at Level IV trauma centers, but such facilities often transfer patients to a higher-level trauma center once said patient is stabilized. Critical-care and surgical services are available, if necessary, to stabilize patients, as is a 24-hour laboratory. Level V Basic emergency care is made available at Level V trauma centers, with the purpose of evaluating incoming patients, stabilizing them, and ultimately, transferring them to higher levels of care. Trauma physicians and nurses are usually available to patients once they arrive, but these facilities are not always open 24 hours.











