Subacute Trauma / Personal Injury

The Impact of Acute Trauma

Acute trauma is our country's #1 cause of morbidity for individuals under the age of 46. And, it's the 4th-leading cause of morbidity for all ages. Not an illness, it is an event resulting in critical physical injuries or fatality. Causes of trauma include accidents, occupational injury, and natural disasters. In the United States, acute trauma costs over $650 billion a year in healthcare and lost productivity. For perspective, that is roughly the equivalent of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. It can be difficult to diagnose these injuries and even more complex the treat them. Often it requires a cross-discipline team and medical plan that integrates multiple specialties. If you, or someone you care about, are suffering from and frustrated by the lingering effects of untreated trauma, we can help. Our Subacute Trauma Program is uniquely designed to help you get back to being your best self, and as quickly as possible.

A Typical Trauma Scenario

After experiencing an acute trauma, the injured party is rushed to the emergency center and treated by the trauma team. Due to the severity of injuries, the trauma team is laser-focused on saving the patient's life first and foremost. In this scenario, the patient's average length of stay is 5-7 days. Once stabilized, the patient is often released while still under heavy pain medication, which can mask symptoms of any non-life threatening injuries. And while the patient is home from the hospital and in stable condition, their care is far from complete.

A Burdensome Patient Experience

At this point, the patient's journey to recovery has only just begun. Subacute traumas are unaddressed injuries from previous acute trauma. These different injuries may present at different times, increasing the challenge of diagnosing their origin. Once home, patients are left to fend for themselves to cope with their situation. The burden to diagnose and manage treatment is essentially on the patient. Often these injuries require physician specialists of different disciplines. This adds to the complexity of care and results in the patient making numerous trips to multiple locations for treatment, all while in a compromised physical state. Further, each specialist often works in a vacuum, focused singularly on their area of expertise, rather than taking an integrated approach, and this can lead to additional inefficiencies. If not treated, these subacute traumas can severely impact one's quality of life.

Our Advanced Approach

There is a better way. Our Subacute Trauma Program takes an advanced approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with subacute trauma injuries. Maximum Medical Improvement, or MMI, is a patient's most advanced recovery possible. The goal of our program is that patients reach their MMI quickly and efficiently. To start, our team of physician specialists can come to the patient to conduct a head-to-toe evaluation, at one of our hospitals, so the patient is comfortable and accommodated. From there, a comprehensive inventory of all injuries is identified and entered into our Patient Care Management (PCM) system. Collectively, the team of specialists define the patient's MMI and designs a Coordinated Care Plan to help the patient achieve their MMI and reclaim their best health.

A Full‑Service Inpatient Experience

The Sub‑Acute Trauma Center operates within our hospitals in Houston and Dallas, giving patients immediate access to critical services that outpatient clinics cannot provide. This includes 24‑hour trauma care, state‑of‑the‑art diagnostics, surgical teams and the safety of a hospital environment if conditions change or escalate.

All evaluations, imaging studies, consultations and treatments occur during a single, highly organized inpatient admission. This streamlines care, reduces delays and ensures patients receive timely intervention without managing multiple appointments across the city.