Bassett Medical Center Earns Accreditation as Level Three Trauma Center from American College of Surgeons

Bassett Medical Center’s trauma center recently received Level III verification from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT), affirming the center’s trauma protocols and practices comply with the highest standards of care.

Trauma centers are medical facilities that are prepared to receive patients identified as having significant, traumatic injuries. They range from Level I trauma centers, which are capable of providing a full range of services, to Level IV, which are capable of providing initial evaluation and stabilization of trauma patients.

A Level III trauma center, like Bassett Medical Center, is verified, designated, and equipped to provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, stabilization, and emergency operations to trauma patients. Level III trauma centers have one or more transfer agreements with nearby Level I or II trauma centers that can receive patients with greater clinical needs. Bassett Medical Center’s agreement is with Albany Medical Center in Albany.

“We function as a level III trauma center based on the level of sub-specialty services we can provide for our patients,” explains Matthew Kleinmaier, MD, Chief of Emergency and Trauma Services at Bassett Healthcare Network. “Maintaining our trauma designation and ACS verification is a commitment to provide high-quality trauma care locally to the communities we serve; numerous studies have shown that patients suffering traumatic injuries have higher rates of survival and improved functional outcomes when cared for in a trauma center.”

Undergoing verification by ACS COT requires a rigorous review of a trauma center’s protocols and practices. This involves a review of the center’s quality of care, performance improvement initiatives, injury prevention activities in the community, and education of staff regarding trauma.

“Our trauma center is comprised of so many dedicated professionals who are ready, at a moment’s notice, to help patients faced with critical, life-threatening injuries,” said Amjad Qabbani, MD, Trauma Medical Director at Bassett Healthcare Network.

“We thank ACS COT for this recognition and I am grateful to my Bassett colleagues Kelly Logan and Kaitlyn Kraham for their excellent work through this verification process.”

This verification will remain in effect until January 2027, at which point it will be up for renewal and Bassett Medical Center will undergo verification evaluation.