Sioux City, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health St. Luke’s Hospital’s level 3 trauma center status has been placed on probation by state regulators for one year, according to a Nov. 13 report from the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
This marks the third time in the last five years that the hospital’s trauma center status has been at risk due to compliance issues, according to the report. Most recently, in October, the hospital entered into a consent agreement with the Iowa Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Bureau.
Under the agreement, the hospital trauma center’s level 3 status will be on probation through October. It requires the facility to submit a corrective action plan, as well as submit quarterly reports that lay out how it is addressing care-provider issues and plans to improve care of injured patients, according to the report. Additionally, St. Luke’s must submit “letters of commitment from all medical staff active in trauma resuscitation.”
State regulators identified problems related to the review of patient care issues and delays in case evaluations. Per the order, the hospital must conduct regular, multidisciplinary peer committee meetings to review issues related to the care of injured patients. The facility was also found to be out of compliance with standards requiring timely trauma case reviews, completing 29% of records within 60 days of patient discharge — below the 80% benchmark intended to ensure problems are identified and addressed promptly.
In a statement to Becker’s, West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health said the Sioux City hospital is working with regulators to ensure compliance with the level three designation.
“We are committed to working with Iowa Health and Human Services on all necessary changes to ensure compliance with the trauma level designation,” the system said. “This decision does not change the level or quality of care we provide to patients when they come to the emergency department. Critically ill or injured patients will continue to be stabilized and treated. All other hospital services will continue uninterrupted.”
The hospital has faced regulatory issues surrounding its trauma center status dating to 2018, when regulators first issued a citation and warning for failing to comply with all level 3 criteria. Its trauma center status was subsequently placed on a one-year probation in 2021 and in 2022.
Level 3 trauma centers have the ability to stabilize and care for trauma patients. They must provide 24-hour immediate coverage by emergency medicine physicians, with prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health, which is responsible for verification of level 3 and 4 hospitals. State regulators use criteria from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to confirm verifications.
A downgrade to level 4 trauma center status would mean the hospital is able to provide advanced life support and stabilization, though it would be required to transfer patients to higher level centers for further care.
