Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Receives Level I Trauma Accreditation

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center has been granted Level I Trauma Center accreditation by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation.

As a Level I trauma center, Geisinger Wyoming Valley provides complex critical care for patients with life-threatening injuries 24/7. In addition, the hospital offers total care for every aspect of traumatic injury — from prevention through rehabilitation.

“Trauma programs like those at Geisinger are an important resource for all of our neighbors and communities as they provide the highest level of emergent care in times of need,” said Denise Torres, MD, chair of Geisinger’s Surgery Institute. “Our teams are always available to provide lifesaving care for those who need it.”

To receive the Level I designation, the hospital underwent a thorough review process that included an on-site review of its resources and capabilities to care for patients with severe traumatic injuries.

Richard Lopez, DO, director of trauma surgery at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, added, “When a traumatic injury occurs, every second counts — and I am so proud to have an experienced team providing specialized critical care to those in need right here in our community.”

Trauma centers are specialized hospitals, staffed and equipped to provide immediate, complex critical care for patients with severe or life-threatening injuries. Geisinger’s trauma programs rely on emergency room staff, Geisinger and local emergency medical services providers, Geisinger Life Flight and first responders across our communities to provide around-the-clock care.

“The Level I designation means our patients and the local community are getting the most specialized level of care. This accreditation reaffirms that our physicians, nurses and staff deliver the best possible outcomes for those we serve,” said Ron Beer, chief administrative officer for Geisinger’s northeast region.

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center joins Geisinger Medical Center in Danville as the system’s Level I trauma centers. Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton and Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville are Level II trauma centers; and Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital and Geisinger Lewistown Hospital are Level IV trauma centers.

The Wright Center for Community’s Health’s Medical Homes in Scranton and Kingston Nationally Recognized

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently announced The Wright Center for Community Health’s Kingston and Scranton practices have received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated, team-based care within a network with long-term, participative relationships.

The Kingston and Scranton practices join The Wright Center for Community Health’s Mid Valley, 5 S. Washington St., Jermyn, and Clarks Summit, 1145 Northern Blvd., South Abington Township practices, in earning the recognition seal. The Mid Valley and Clarks Summit practices received the NCQA PCMH honor three years ago and continue with annual formal review to meet the highest standards of the designation.

The NCQA’s PCMH is a model of primary health care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve delivery and coordination of care; experience of care by patients, families and care teams, and enhances affordability with reduced cost of care and waste. The program was developed in 2008 to identify medical practices that have invested in a care model that empowers patients at the forefront, while nurturing a culture of continuous improvement. The NCQA’s recognition program is the most widely adopted PCMH evaluation program in the country.

In order to be considered for PCMH recognition, health care practices must meet key standards in six important areas: Team based care and practice organization, care management and support, know and manage patients, care coordination and care transitions, patient-centered access and continuity, and continued performance measurement and quality improvement. Since its inception, more than 10,000 practice sites and 50,000 clinicians have earned the NCQA PCMH recognition seal.

“We are extremely proud that a national organization has affirmed The Wright Center for Community Health’s commitment to improving the health and welfare of the communities we serve through a patient-centered medical home model approach,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and chief executive officer of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “This model of care allows us to honor and keep patients at the forefront of everything we do and makes continuous quality improvement our priority.”

The Wright Center for Community Health’s Kingston Practice at 2 Sharpe St., is located in First Hospital. A full-service primary and pediatric care office, family doctors, pediatricians and advanced practitioners provide checkups, physicals, screenings, treatment of common illnesses and injuries, as well as behavioral health, addiction and recovery services, sports medicine and hepatitis C and infectious disease services. Please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-491-0126 to make an appointment.

The Wright Center for Community Health’s Scranton Practice at 501 S. Washington Ave., is a full-service primary and pediatric care office that also offers dental services as well as rheumatology, sports medicine and infectious disease specialists, including the Ryan White HIV Clinic. Family doctors and advanced practitioners provide checkups, physicals, screenings, treatment of common illnesses and injuries as well as behavioral health and recovery services. To make an appointment, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-941-0630.