(a)Trauma center accreditation.--The foundation shall develop a private voluntary accreditation program to:
(1)Establish standards for the operation of trauma centers that receive or seek to receive Commonwealth funds, adopting, at a minimum, current guidelines for trauma centers defined by the American College of Surgeons. Additionally, Level III trauma centers shall meet accreditation criteria for Level III trauma centers imposed by the act of March 24, 2004, (P.L.148, No.15), known as the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Stabilization Act. For the purpose of reaccreditation, the standards shall require, at a minimum, that each adult Level I and Level II trauma center treat at least 600 severe and urgent injury cases per year.
(2)Evaluate a hospital making application to the foundation t
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(a) Trauma center accreditation.--The foundation shall develop a private voluntary accreditation program to:
(1) Establish standards for the operation of trauma centers that receive or seek to receive Commonwealth funds, adopting, at a minimum, current guidelines for trauma centers defined by the American College of Surgeons. Additionally, Level III trauma centers shall meet accreditation criteria for Level III trauma centers imposed by the act of March 24, 2004, (P.L.148, No.15), known as the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Stabilization Act. For the purpose of reaccreditation, the standards shall require, at a minimum, that each adult Level I and Level II trauma center treat at least 600 severe and urgent injury cases per year.
(2) Evaluate a hospital making application to the foundation to determine if the hospital meets the foundation's standards. An evaluation shall include hospital site visits by accreditation survey teams composed of independent, qualified persons selected by the foundation.
(3) Issue certificates of accreditation to hospitals that meet the accreditation standards. Certificates of accreditation shall be valid for a period not to exceed three years. Certificates of accreditation may be revoked by the foundation if it is determined that the trauma center no longer meets accreditation standards as set forth in this chapter.
(4) Establish an appeal mechanism for reconsideration of accreditation decisions.
(b) Judicial review.--A person aggrieved by a determination of the foundation under this section may file a petition for review within 30 days in an appropriate court of common pleas.
(c) Prohibition.--No hospital shall hold itself out as a trauma center unless it has a current certificate of accreditation issued under this section.
(d) Board of directors.--The board of directors of the foundation shall consist of the following voting members: five representatives of State organizations representing physicians; five representatives of State organizations representing hospitals; three representatives of State organizations representing registered professional nurses; two representatives of other Statewide EMS organizations having expertise in the delivery of trauma services; the chairman and minority chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate or designees chosen from among the members of the committee; the chairman and minority chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee of the House of Representatives or designees chosen from among the members of the committee; and the Secretary of Health or a designee. The bylaws of the foundation shall identify a method to select members to achieve professional and geographic balance on the board of directors. Terms of office shall be limited to three years.
(e) Data collection.--The foundation shall compile and maintain statistics on mortality and morbidity on multisystem trauma victims. The data collection shall be coordinated and performed in conjunction with State data collection activities.