Right care, right place, right time. Regional systems of care are the best way to ensure patients with emergent conditions have the best outcomes

A bystander calls 911 after witnessing an auto accident in rural Minnesota in which a passenger has been seriously injured. The dispatcher provides the caller with instructions on how to care for the person until the ambulance arrives. When emergency medical services personnel get to the scene, they find that the patient meets the criteria for trauma and activate a "trauma code" at the local hospital. Upon receiving that radio notification, the hospital calls in additional staff and also calls for a helicopter to transfer the patient to a tertiary care trauma center. Staff at the receiving hospital do an initial assessment and stabilize the patient. Helicopter personnel provide additional medications and interventions en route to the trauma center, where a specialty team is ready to deliver definitive care.