Change in federal trauma definition would help burn centers like Akron Children’s Hospital’s

Aug. 06--An expected change in the federal definition of trauma could bring more money to help Akron Children's Hospital care for burn victims.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, toured the pediatric hospital's C.R. Boeckman Regional Burn Center on Wednesday to discuss a bill that adds burn injuries under the trauma designation.

Fellow senators recently approved the bill, which Portman had introduced only last month, and it is awaiting President Obama's signature to become law.

Because the federal definition of trauma now excludes burn injuries, burn centers across the nation aren't eligible for U.S. government grants to support trauma care, said Charlie Solley, director of government relations for Akron Children's Hospital.

"The change in definition of trauma to include burn injuries will open up federal funding for trauma centers when burns are involved," Portman said.

The change also helps support burn care in the event of a terrorist attack or other mass disaster involving burn injuries, the senator said.

Hospital officials said it's too early to say exactly how much money the definition change could bring to the burn unit in federal grant support.

The hospital typically loses money providing care in its 12-bed burn center, Akron Children's Hospital President and Chief Executive William Considine said.

Many of the patients are uninsured or covered by federal government insurance programs, hospital officials said.

Burn centers treat patients who often require long hospital stays and costly care, said Dr. John Crow, chairman of the hospital's Department of Surgery, which includes the burn center. He said the hospital can spend as much as $100,000 or more on products alone to treat a patient with extensive burns.

Most patients stay in the hospital an average of one day per percent of their body that is burned, he said.

"The burn patients are even worse off than the average trauma patients," Crow said.

Children's operates one of eight burn centers across Ohio. Others are located at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland and at hospitals in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo.

Last year, the inpatient burn center at Akron Children's Hospital treated 287 patients, about 75 percent of them adults, clinical coordinator Heather Belacic told Portman during Wednesday's tour.

The center gets patients from about 25 counties, stretching north to the Ohio Turnpike, south to Steubenville and east to the Youngstown-Warren region.

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or [email protected]. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/CherylPowellABJ.

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