There are approximately fifteen (15) Trauma Centers in the state of Georgia. Trauma centers are ranked as levels 1, 2, 3, or 4. A Level 1 Trauma Center is the most comprehensive and has a full spectrum of capacity with surgical subspecialties and a clinical research program. Most Level 1 Trauma Centers are academic facilities.

A Level 2 Trauma Center also has a full spectrum of capacity with surgical subspecialties, like a level 1, but is not required to have a clinical research program.

A level 3 Trauma Center is a community hospital with general surgical, orthopedic, and anesthesia capacity but without a full spectrum of surgical subspecialty capacity.

A Level 4 Trauma Center is generally a small facility which has the capacity to evaluate, stabilize, and transfer major trauma patients to other facilities for more definitive care.

All levels of trauma center actively participate in collecting data for the trauma registry and utilize that data for continuous quality improvement. All trauma centers function within a complex system which includes pre-hospital care and transport, definitive surgical or critical care, rehabilitation, and injury prevention.