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To determine if prior trauma center quality metrics reliably predict future trauma care, researchers retrospectively reviewed 122,402 patients (median age, 48 years) admitted to 22 level I and II trauma centers in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2009. Patients with nontraumatic or superficial injuries, burns, hypothermia, isolated hip fractures, and incomplete medical records were excluded from review.
Ninety percent of patients sustained blunt trauma. The overall mortality rate was 6%. Current hospital ranking was strongly associated with historical hospital ranking based on 2-year-old data. The odds ratio for mortality for patients admitted to hospitals in the lowest-performing quintile based on 2- and 3-year-old data was two-fold higher tha…