The 2022 publication does not include standards for Level IV trauma centers. Will the Committee on Trauma (COT) provide current guidance in a separate publication for Level IV trauma centers, or should we continue to use the 2014 Standards?
The COT is giving this careful consideration and will determine how best to address the concerns. In the meantime, the 2014 Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient (aka, the Orange Book) contains Level IV criteria that are still relevant, current, and can continue to be used.
If a trauma center was reviewed under the 2014 Standards and requires a focused visit, will the focused visit be based on the 2014 Standards or the new 2022 Standards?
For focused visits, the trauma center will be reviewed using the same standards by which it was previously reviewed. In this instance, the focused visit will be reviewed using the 2014 Standards.
Can I assume if a criterion existed in the 2014 Standards but not in the 2022 Standards, then it is obsolete?
The 2022 Standards defines all standards required for trauma center verification by the ACS VRC program. The 2022 version should be able to be used alone, independent from previous versions of the standards. It’s important to understand that the 2022 version organizes the standards based on the nine categories. Some criteria have moved out of their placement in the Orange Book to a new standard in the Gray Book and some criteria were absorbed into standards with broader requirements.