Section 3. Accreditation of Level III trauma centers.
(a) Standards.--The foundation shall accredit Level III trauma centers in accordance with established standards, which shall be based upon the current guidelines for trauma centers as defined by the American College of Surgeons for Level III trauma centers. The accreditation process shall be conducted in compliance with section 6 of the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the Emergency Medical Services Act.
(b) Additional requirements.--In addition to the Level III standards established by the foundation under subsection (a), a hospital must meet all of the following criteria to qualify for Level III accreditation:
(1) Provide comprehensive emergency services.
(2) Total on an annual basis at least 4,000 inpatient admissions from its emergency department.
(3) Be located in a county with no Level I or Level II trauma center.
(4) Be located more than 25 miles travel distance from a Level I or Level II trauma center.
(c) Submission of application required.--To be eligible for accreditation as a Level III trauma center and to qualify for funds under this act, an eligible hospital must submit an application to the foundation for the purpose of determining compliance with the standards under subsection (a) and the criteria under subsection (b). No later than 30 days after the effective date of this section, an application shall be developed by the foundation and made available to eligible hospital applicants.
(d) Review of application.--Within 120 days of the receipt of an application, the foundation shall complete its review of the application to determine compliance with the standards under subsection (a) and the criteria under subsection (b). No later than 120 days from the completion of that review, the foundation shall grant or deny a certificate of accreditation for those hospitals seeking to be qualified as Level III trauma centers.
(e) Review of Level III trauma centers.--No later than five years after the effective date of this section, the foundation shall reassess the impact of Level III trauma centers on patient outcomes and on the trauma system as a whole. The report with recommendations shall be forwarded to the Secretary of Health, the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate and the Health and Human Services Committee of the House of Representatives.
(f) Other trauma center references.--A Level III trauma center accredited under this act shall not be considered an accredited trauma center for purposes of any other act.