Wishard Burn Unit Re-Verified by the American Burn Association
Contact: Todd Harper
Phone: 317-630-7808
Pager: 317-310-5972
The American Burn Association (ABA) and the American College of Surgeons has re-verified the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard Health Services as an adult level one burn unit, the highest level of burn care available. This achievement recognizes the burn center’s dedication to providing optimal care for burn patients.
The Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard is one of only 50 burn centers in the United States verified as a level one burn unit. The center treats more than 350 inpatients and 1,500 outpatients each year. Since 1993, the burn center has seen an increase of approximately 15 percent per year in the number of patients treated.
The verification process includes a rigorous review program designed to verify a burn center's resources that are required for the provision of optimal care to burn patients from the time of injury through rehabilitation. Elements of this voluntary program include an application, pre-review questionnaire, an in-depth on-site review by members of the ABA Verification Committee, as well as senior members of the ABA. A written report of the site visit team is reviewed by the ABA Verification Committee and by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons.
"The Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center and administrative staff are exceptionally proud of the nursing, operating room and rehabilitation staff who help take care of our patients. The verification process endorses the high standard quality care that we provide on an ongoing basis,” said Dr. Rajiv Sood, medical director of the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard and associate professor of plastic surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine.
According to the ABA, burn center verification provides a true mark of distinction for a burn center. It is an indicator to government, third-party payers, patients and their families, and accreditation organizations that the center provides high-quality patient care and meets the demanding standards for organizational structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources and medical care services.
The Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard includes 11 intensive care patient rooms with state-of-the-art monitoring and environmental controls, two rooms for overnight guests, a hydrotherapy area, a physical therapy room, a large waiting area for family and loved ones, a children's play area, and a free-standing operating room. The burn center at Wishard is regarded as one of the finest and most progressive burn centers in the United States, and is located above the Emergency Department and IU/Wishard Level I Trauma Center at Wishard Memorial Hospital. The majority of communities throughout Indiana send their most severely burned patients to Wishard. In addition to providing quality burn care, the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Wishard provides statewide burn prevention and education and a full range of plastic surgery services.