Readmission Patterns at Children's Hospitals

Three percent of children admitted with complex chronic conditions account for nearly one fourth of hospital charges at children's hospitals.

As healthcare costs become increasingly scrutinized, identifying populations that use disproportionately more hospital resources is important. Investigators used a national database to retrospectively examine readmission rates and resource utilization in 317,643 children admitted to 37 free-standing hospitals in 2003 and followed through 2008.

Nearly 3% of children had four or more readmissions within 365 days of a prior admission, with a median of 37 days between readmissions. These patients accounted for 19% of admissions, 23% of bed days, and 23% (US$3.42 billion) of total aggregate charges for the cohort during the 5 years of follow-up. The 365-day interval when patients had the most readmissions began at a median of 0.7 years from first…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)