Care of Children and Adolescents in U.S. Hospitals

HCUP Fact Book No. 4

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To help fulfill its mission of providing information on the U.S. health care system, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) develops and sponsors databases that include the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Through HCUP, AHRQ has taken a lead in developing databases, software tools, and statistical reports to inform policymakers, health system leaders, and researchers at the Federal, regional, and State levels.

This Fact Book examines hospital care for children using one of the newest HCUP databases made publicly available—the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). Creation of the KID has enabled studies of why children and adolescents are hospitalized, what types of procedures children receive, who is billed for their hospital stays, and disparities in outcomes and use of services.

To print the entire Fact Book, download PDF File (1.9 MB). PDF Help.

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By Pamela L. Owens, Ph.D.; Joseph Thompson, M.D., M.P.H., Anne Elixhauser, Ph.D.; Kevin Ryan, J.D., R.N.

Contents

Foreword
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Executive Summary
Why Are Children and Adolescents Hospitalized?
At What Ages Are Children Most Likely to be Hospitalized?
How Do Children Get Admitted to the Hospital?
What Are the Reasons for Children's Hospital Stays?
What Procedures Do Children Receive in the Hospital?
How Long Do Children Stay in the Hospital?
How Expensive Are Children's Hospital Stays?
How Does Children's Resource Use Compare With Adults?
Who is Billed for Children's Hospital Stays?
What Happens When Children Are Discharged From the Hospital?
Source of Data for This Report
Methods
For More Information

AHRQ Publication No. 04-0004
Current as of October 2003

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Internet Citation:

Care of Children and Adolescents in U.S. Hospitals. HCUP Fact Book No. 4. AHRQ Publication No. 04-0004, October 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/factbk4/

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