[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6641083,"mediaKeyId","2547635-07d6612cd1eb69fc619feb959bcc2076","parentId",2547635,"title","Georgia Trauma Commission reports statewide quality gains; South Georgia Medical Center case highlights rural system benefits","audioSeconds",3049,"startMs",1612000,"endMs",4661000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547635-07d6612cd1eb69fc619feb959bcc2076&start=1612&end=4661","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547635-07d6612cd1eb69fc619feb959bcc2076/thumbnail_1612000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6641083/Georgia/Georgia-Trauma-Commission-reports-statewide-quality-gains-South-Georgia-Medical-Center-case-highlights-rural-system-benefits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641083-869f92fefdc45741d0aba8b38994d248/orig.mp4?Expires=1773342945&Signature=fknQJS5pH76yxLqvmwBaeAlrweKfzaZO50BfjFoBN5qiSU1m7oNgFDkT98fEr~~R-1wHzJj7Ty34nbtSaf6FVgtz6M5iwwVq5iw~V~FywNdp9Prw43eMqAH74bK4kiHW0zJqEEKOEarqGfILVSZWO6sfm9ltqtSVMXsaJ0hBG1yNmIjLHXV9kkr9-EzgphpX6ca3AJOGndOUUUtWy~blz0Bt0S23Kd1vLeFBU-GQFAJtRJHd17yq-Ddn3R79V6A8iwSJQ3vSKx7LlJ-mXui53DwAPTQMeaG5~XgWxp84tAUFVVUtIhEYYMHdZtGIPXUBuGHJNGVNAQ1i6eeFRKs~ew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-03-11T21:11:54.983Z","article","The Georgia Trauma Commission reported improved statewide trauma outcomes after a multi‑year drive to secure American College of Surgeons (ACS) consultative visits and verification for level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Commission leaders told the Public Health Committee the initiative coincided with measurable improvements in risk‑adjusted hospital event metrics between 2015 and 2023.

At the committee meeting, Dr. Ashley (presenting for the commission) said the number of trauma centers in Georgia rose from about 15 in 2008 to 35 in 2025, reducing white (unserved) areas on access maps measured by 60‑minute ground transport times. She described a statewide quality improvement collaborative formed in 2012 and said the commission required level 1 and 2 centers to begin ACS consultative visits and later to achieve verification; failure to verify could affect legislative funding tied to the commission.

Emily Brown, director of trauma and emergency medical services at South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC Health) in Valdosta, described a recent case the hospital treated to illustrate how the system works in a rural setting. SGMC is a state‑designated level 3 trauma center that serves about 1,589 square miles and roughly 60,000 people; the facility reported about 1,700 trauma activations annually.

Brown said a 58‑year‑old male passenger in a severe roadside collision arrived at SGMC after a rural crash with extensive intrusion into the vehicle. The patient arrived at 8:56 a.m. after emergency services activated the trauma team at 8:16. The patient suffered multiple liver and spleen lacerations, a right kidney laceration and blood in the chest; he lost a pulse about 17 minutes after arrival and CPR and massive transfusion were performed. The team regained a pulse about 18 minutes later.

Emily Brown said the patient was unstable for ground transfer after CT and attempts to secure air transport were repeatedly canceled because of weather and mechanical issues. SGMC surgeons performed damage‑control laparotomy, removed the spleen, repaired liver lacerations, packed the abdomen and left it open for later definitive surgery. The hospital gave 67 units of blood products (about three times the patient’s estimated total blood volume) while he was there. The patient remained at SGMC about eight and a half hours before transfer to a level 1 trauma center; he underwent multiple subsequent surgeries, was discharged after about 45 days, transferred for rehabilitation and returned to work April 6, 2024, per the presentation.

Dr. Ashley told the committee the statewide requirement for ACS consultative and verification visits was feasible and that pooled quality metrics improved: “red to black is a positive,” she said, referencing earlier risk‑adjusted reports that showed poor performance and later improvement. The commission is preparing a manuscript describing the statewide process and results for peer‑reviewed publication.

Commission leaders described ancillary benefits including a “halo effect” in which all centers’ reports improved after the initiative began; two hospitals voluntarily “right‑sized” from level 2 to level 3 to match resources and maintain high performance. Brown said SGMC introduced a mass transfusion protocol, preplaced blood products in the trauma bay to eliminate turnaround time, and trained EMS to start blood in the field — steps she credited for the patient’s survival.

Captain Bridal, the patient at the center of the case SGMC presented, attended the committee meeting and spoke about his recovery. “Emily, she saved my life,” he told members, and later said he had returned to flying and motorcycle riding the year after his crash.

Committee members asked operational questions about statewide coordination. Dr. Ashley said Georgia does not currently operate a state‑level real‑time hospital availability/ diversion system; she said other states have such coordination tools and that the commission supports moving in that direction. Legislators and commission members discussed ongoing pilot efforts to place blood products on EMS units and expand critical care transport capabilities.

The presentation concluded with lawmakers thanking trauma center staff and EMS partners for the work and noting the statewide initiative reduced unserved areas and improved frontline care in rural communities. No committee action or vote was taken on the presentation itself.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Public & Community Health 03.11.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Georgia Trauma Commission told the Public Health Committee that a multi‑year push to obtain American College of Surgeons consultative visits and verification for level 1–2 centers has coincided with improved statewide trauma quality metrics, and South Georgia Medical Center described a rural case in which a mass transfusion protocol and damage‑control surgery contributed to a patient’s survival.","taxTitle","Appropriations, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",16937,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6641087,"Public Health Committee approves substitute to Senate Bill 162 to regulate standalone ketamine clinics and modernize credentialing",680,792000,1472000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547635-07d6612cd1eb69fc619feb959bcc2076&start=792&end=1472","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547635-07d6612cd1eb69fc619feb959bcc2076/thumbnail_792000.jpg","/articles/6641087/Georgia/Public-Health-Committee-approves-substitute-to-Senate-Bill-162-to-regulate-standalone-ketamine-clinics-and-modernize-credentialing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641087-33fa2e0da34124f03a5ce7f844911922/orig.mp4?Expires=1773342945&Signature=FILUThMbX2XWgJtSWZby4WwrsxfP3PzhvpRZzNpGzhg5Z1vhSoSi-i5BwIvQER6KgfwfDKScjSb-FEqTGDWghhmWz3X8swVUIGuuzHPtmfyoyORBBILzwk6i8iLFt-H3UHGwiIueEqsRBwazNMJb3IUOcwNp76q9NF3G-94GE3dVOoHlFrGkGKsouKKMWT-I4TQHXvxMI5NBawKE2BasepFDtOdubzVM5C7hyMFLTIoeHUiy8l~jJpYI75QxaUrHF6LMnjM46X1H9WWY~J21yktzUJIcgzGjV1pKs-xtz9Lg4KAZv1kRn5gULFpSSg4gSR5aqFXI~LtyqtrIWAZl5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Health Committee voted to approve a substitute to Senate Bill 162, advancing provisions that (1) give the state medical board authority to regulate standalone clinics providing off‑label ketamine and other psychedelic treatments and (2) direct the composite medical board to modernize credentialing and licensing processes for physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses.

Supporters said the measure addresses two separate but related concerns: patient safety at emerging outpatient ketamine/psychedelic clinics and workforce shortages caused by slow hospital credentialing. Sen. Sandra Hufstedler, sponsor of the Senate portion of the measure, told the committee the bill “includes the bill that we passed the other day for the board of medicine to regulate these clinics that are popping up all over our state” and said the aim is to avoid problems similar to earlier pain‑clinic proliferation.

Hufstedler described a parallel effort to modernize credentialing. She said the composite medical board is customizing software already in use in other states and that no new procurement is required. “If you’re credentialed in one, if we’ve got the same criminal background check, you know, we’ve got the same paperwork ... you can be credentialed everywhere,” she told the committee. She said Georgia Hospital Association CEOs who worked with the effort are supportive and that hospitals will retain the right to add facility‑specific requirements through portal fields in the software.

Dr. Al, who addressed safety concerns raised about off‑label ketamine infusions, summarized the clinical rationale behind that portion of the bill: “Ketamine ... is a very powerful medication ... This is looking to bring up those safety standards.” He stressed that the bill does not interfere with on‑label use of ketamine in hospitals or with formal clinical trials.

During committee discussion, Representative Oliver asked whether vendor selection for the composite medical board’s software is being coordinated with vendor modernization at the secretary of state’s office. Hufstedler said the projects are not coordinated: the committee took a path intended to avoid duplicative licensing work by the secretary of state and described broader modernization efforts elsewhere in state government as separate but necessary.

Representative Cannon asked whether the bill limits regulation to standalone clinics. Committee members clarified the current language centers on standalone outpatient clinics; it does not change how hospitals use ketamine for on‑label procedures or formal clinical trials. Hufstedler said the composite medical board will develop rules for how a nonhospital clinic would qualify and operate under the new oversight.

Representative Seebaugh moved that the committee give the substitute a do‑pass recommendation. A second was recorded but not named in the transcript; the committee approved the substitute by voice vote (ayes; no recorded no votes). The committee chair encouraged the sponsor to return if adjustments are needed in future sessions.

The substitute combines regulatory language for outpatient psychedelic clinics with provisions intended to shorten the time it takes hospitals to credential incoming clinicians, a change supporters said will make it easier to recruit health professionals from other states.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved a substitute to Senate Bill 162 on a voice vote; a formal roll‑call tally was not recorded in the transcript.

What the bill does not say or change: committee members and presenters emphasized the substitute does not limit on‑label hospital use of ketamine or interfere with clinical trials; hospitals retain discretion to set additional credentialing requirements.

The committee advanced the substitute to the next stage of consideration.","The committee voted to advance a substitute to Senate Bill 162 that instructs the composite medical board to regulate standalone clinics offering off‑label ketamine and similar psychedelic treatments and directs modernization of provider credentialing/ licensing systems to speed hospital credentialing across facilities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Georgia Trauma Commission reports statewide quality gains; South Georgia Medical Center case highlights rural system benefits

Public Health Committee approves substitute to Senate Bill 162 to regulate standalone ketamine clinics and modernize credentialing