Hurt in a crash and taken to a Metro Detroit trauma center: what happens next

Level I and Level II adult trauma centers in the tri-county area

This table lists the hospitals in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties on the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) list of Level I and Level II trauma centers, version dated July 31, 2026. DIFS builds the list from American College of Surgeons (ACS) verifications. Names follow the DIFS list; where it shows a newer name, that name is in parentheses.

What Level I and Level II mean

The ACS does not designate trauma centers. It verifies that a hospital has the staff, equipment and programs its standards require. According to the ACS, a Level I center must be able to provide comprehensive trauma care for all injuries, and most are university-based teaching hospitals involved in research. A Level II center provides initial definitive trauma care for a wide range of injuries. The level describes the hospital’s trauma program. It is not a rating of any doctor or of the care you received, and it does not change your no-fault benefits.

Give the hospital your auto insurance, not just your health card

Michigan no-fault makes your auto insurer’s personal injury protection (PIP) responsible for reasonable and necessary care for crash injuries, up to the medical coverage level you chose. As soon as you or a family member can, give the registration or billing office:

• The auto insurer’s name and your policy number (from your declarations page or ID card)
• Your PIP claim number, once you have reported the crash to the insurer
• The crash date, and a note that the visit is crash-related

Which policy pays is decided by Michigan’s priority rules, and it may be a relative’s policy or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. See which insurer pays. If you chose limited PIP or opted out with qualifying health coverage, your health plan may pay first; see health insurance, Medicare and PIP.

How the trauma-center rule affects emergency billing

Since July 2021, Michigan’s fee schedule (MCL 500.3157) caps what providers can be paid by an auto insurer. Most providers are capped at 190% of the Medicare rate for care after July 1, 2023. MCL 500.3157(6) gives a higher cap to hospitals that the ACS verifies as Level I or II trauma centers: 230% of Medicare for care after July 1, 2023, but only for treatment of an emergency medical condition rendered before the patient is stabilized and transferred. When Medicare sets no rate, MCL 500.3157(7) sets the trauma-center limit at 71% of the hospital’s January 1, 2019 charge, compared with 52.5% for most providers.

In practice, the emergency room and trauma bay charges are often paid at the higher rate, and follow-up care at the same hospital after you are stable is paid at the standard rate. You do not need to calculate any of this. If you receive a bill or an explanation of benefits you do not understand, keep it and ask us. Providers can read more on our fee schedule page.

Hospital social workers and case managers

Trauma patients are usually assigned a case manager, a social worker, or both. They coordinate discharge, arrange equipment and rehab placement, and help families with paperwork. Ask for them by name early in the stay. Tell them the injuries came from a motor vehicle crash and give them the auto claim number, so their requests for equipment, rehab or home services go to the PIP insurer.

Discharge planning, attendant care and home changes

Before discharge, the medical team decides whether you can go home, need inpatient rehab, or need a skilled nursing facility. If you go home needing help with bathing, dressing, medications or supervision, that help can be paid as attendant care. Ask the doctor to write the need, and the number of hours, into the discharge orders. Unless your policy provides more, care from relatives, household members or people you had a business or social relationship with before the crash is limited to 56 hours per week under MCL 500.3157(10). The cap applies whether that care is provided directly or through an agency. It does not apply to people injured, while covered by a policy issued, before June 11, 2019 (Andary v USAA).

Allowable expenses under MCL 500.3107(1)(a) cover reasonably necessary products, services and accommodations for your care and recovery. That can include a wheelchair, a hospital bed, a ramp or an accessible bathroom when the injuries require them. Get a written prescription or therapist recommendation for each item. Save receipts and send them to the insurer.

Get your medical records

Federal HIPAA rules give you the right to a copy of your records. A hospital may require a written request and must act within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if it explains the delay in writing. Ask the health information management (medical records) office for the full chart: the ambulance run sheet, emergency and trauma notes, imaging reports, operative reports and discharge summary. These records support your PIP claim and any claim against the at-fault driver.

Do not sign insurer paperwork in the hospital

Adjusters sometimes call or visit early. Do not give a recorded statement, sign a release, or sign a broad medical authorization while you are hospitalized or medicated. A release can end your claim against the at-fault driver, and a blanket authorization can open records unrelated to the crash. Read what not to say to an adjuster and recorded statements and examinations under oath.

If you or a family member is still in the hospital and the insurer is already asking questions, contact us. We can deal with the insurer while you focus on recovery.

Sources: DIFS, Level I or II Trauma Centers Entitled to Enhanced Auto Insurance Reimbursement (version date 7/31/2026); American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Verification, Review and Consultation Program; MCL 500.3107(1)(a); MCL 500.3145; MCL 500.3157(2), (6), (7), (10) and (15); 45 CFR 164.524.