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Trauma Care Assistance Revolving Fund

Senate Bill 290 established the Trauma Care Assistance Revolving Fund (Trauma Fund) in 1999. This Bill provided for reimbursement of uncompensated costs associated with trauma care provided by recognized trauma facilities and emergency medical providers. In 2004, House Bill 1554 added physicians to the list of providers eligible for reimbursement from the Trauma Fund. Administrative rules to implement this statutory change became effective on July 11, 2005.

The Trauma Fund is a continuing fund that will be available from year-to-year to support the public health safety net required to provide appropriate emergency medical care to the severely injured patient. Current sources of revenue for the Trauma Fund included renewal and reinstatement fees for driver licenses; fines for second/subsequent convictions for driving without a license, convictions for driving under the influence, driving without a license, failure to maintain mandatory motor vehicle insurance, violating the open container law, speeding, drug-related convictions and the Tobacco Tax.

Based upon budget projections, collections from all Trauma Fund revenue sources are anticipated to reach between $14 million - $20 million annually. Ninety percent of the funds collected will be distributed among the eligible participants during each future distribution period, with thirty percent of each distribution earmarked specifically for physicians.

Eligible EMS, hospital and physician disbursement entities may be qualified for reimbursement from the Trauma Fund for cases meeting required major trauma clinical criteria, and must be uncompensated after reasonable collection efforts are exhausted.

Major trauma cases meeting the clinical case definition are identified through required data reporting by Hospital Trauma Registrars to the State Trauma Registry. Qualifying clinical case criteria includes those trauma cases reported to the Registry with ICD-9 codes of 800.0 to 959.9 and a defined severity of injury.

The fund is distributed on a pro-rata basis after costs are established and ineligible cases are subtracted. 

Rule making activities, since June 2007:

  1. OAC 310:669
    Inclusion of all eligible providers that would be disqualified as a result of rounding of fraction numbers, April 27, 2009.
  2. OS §63-1-2530.4
    Increase in Oklahoma Trauma Systems Improvement & Development Council membership to include an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, November 1, 2008.
  3. OAC 310:669
    Inclusion of time sensitive traumatic injuries, June 25, 2007.

*** An emergency rulemaking action at Oklahoma Administrative Code 310:669-1-3(2) was approved by the Board of Health deleting existing rule language that would exclude rural hospital and EMS providers from receiving disbursements from the Trauma Care Assistance Revolving Fund for otherwise eligible uncompensated expenses related to the provision of trauma care.  This emergency rule was approved by Governor Brad Henry on April 27, 2009.***

Title 310 - Oklahoma State Department of Health


Subchapter 1 General Provisions

Subchapter 3 Data Accumulations

Subchapter 5 Reports and Financial Statements

Subchapter 7 Fund Distribution

For inquiries or more information, contact esystems@health.ok.gov

Emergency Systems
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S Kerr Ave, Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
Office: (405) 426-8480
Fax: (405) 900-7560 or 4059007560@Xmedius.com (using email)
Esystems@health.ok.gov

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