University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth — all in Cleveland — are coming together to form the regional Northern Ohio Trauma System network, according to Crain's Cleveland Business.
The collaboration marks a departure from UH's May 2015 decision to open its own Level 1 trauma center apart from the joint network created by the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth in 2010.
Leaders from all three health systems discussed the effects of maintaining two Level 1 trauma centers in the same area for one year at a press conference Wednesday. UH officials said they were reportedly surprised by the number of patients they saw, while MetroHealth officials said the health system took a greater hit to its finances than they had expected, according to the article.
The new network now includes three Level 1 adult trauma centers and one pediatric Level 1 trauma center at the UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. An advisory board will be responsible for governing the network and for appointing a medical director and pediatric medical director to each serve two-year terms. Officials said the first board meeting will commence in a few weeks to create subcommittees and modernize current policies.
"We are all here because at the end of the day this is all about saving lives," said Bernard Boulanger, MD, chief clinical officer and executive vice president of MetroHealth. "The inclusion of additional trauma centers into NOTS that is expanding the geographic reach and the scale of NOTS will help ensure that more people receive the care that they need at that crucial time in their lives."