Follow-up After Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Visits.

OBJECTIVES: To examine how outpatient mental health (MH) follow-up after a pediatric MH emergency department (ED) discharge varies by patient characteristics and to evaluate the association between timely follow-up and return encounters. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 28 551 children aged 6 to 17 years with MH ED discharges from January 2018 to June 2019, using the IBM Watson MarketScan Medicaid database. Odds of nonemergent outpatient follow-up, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, were estimated using logistic regression. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association between timely follow-up and risk of return MH acute care encounters (ED visits and hospitalizations). RESULTS: Following MH ED discharge, 31.2% and 55.8% of children had an outpatient MH visit within 7 and 30 days, respectively. The return rate was 26.5% within 6 months. Compared with children with no past-year outpatient MH visits, those with ≥14 past-year MH visits had 9.53 odds of accessing follow-up care within 30 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.75-10.38). Timely follow-up within 30 days was associated with a 26% decreased risk of return within 5 days of the index ED discharge (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91), followed by an increased risk of return thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: Connection to outpatient care within 7 and 30 days of a MH ED discharge remains poor, and children without prior MH outpatient care are at highest risk for poor access to care. Interventions to link to outpatient MH care should prioritize follow-up within 5 days of an MH ED discharge.

Ambulatory follow-up among publicly insured children discharged from the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: While children discharged from the emergency department (ED) are frequently advised to follow up with ambulatory care providers, the extent to which this occurs is unknown. We sought to characterize the proportion of publicly insured children who have an ambulatory visit following ED discharge, identify factors associated with ambulatory follow-up, and evaluate the association of ambulatory follow-up with subsequent hospital-based health care utilization. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of pediatric (<18 years) encounters during 2019 included in the IBM Watson Medicaid MarketScan claims database from seven U.S. states. Our primary outcome was an ambulatory follow-up visit within 7 days of ED discharge. Secondary outcomes were 7-day ED return visits and hospitalizations. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards were used for multivariable modeling. RESULTS: We included 1,408,406 index ED encounters (median age 5 years, IQR 2-10 years), for which a 7-day ambulatory visit occurred in 280,602 (19.9%). Conditions with the highest proportion of 7-day ambulatory follow-up included seizures (36.4%); allergic, immunologic, and rheumatologic diseases (24.6%); other gastrointestinal diseases (24.5%); and fever (24.1%). Ambulatory follow-up was associated with younger age, Hispanic ethnicity, weekend ED discharge, ambulatory encounters prior to the ED visit, and diagnostic testing performed during the ED encounter. Ambulatory follow-up was inversely associated with Black race and ambulatory care-sensitive or complex chronic conditions. In Cox models, ambulatory follow-up was associated with a higher hazard ratio (HR) of subsequent ED return (HR range 1.32-1.65) visit and hospitalization (HR range 3.10-4.03). CONCLUSIONS: One-fifth of children discharged from the ED have an ambulatory visit within 7 days, which varied by patient characteristics and diagnoses. Children with ambulatory follow-up have a greater subsequent health care utilization, including subsequent ED visit and/or hospitalization. These findings identify the need to further research the role and costs associated with routine post-ED visit follow-up.

Neighborhood Child Opportunity and Emergency Department Utilization.

The Child Opportunity Index measures the structural neighborhood context that may influence a child's healthy development. We examined relationships between the Child Opportunity Index and emergency department utilization. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Child Opportunity Index (COI) is a multidimensional measure of structural neighborhood context that may influence a child's healthy development. Our objective was to determine if COI is associated with children's emergency department (ED) utilization using a national sample. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of the Pediatric Health Information Systems, a database from 49 United States children's hospitals. We analyzed children aged 0 to 17 years with ED visits from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. We modeled associations between COI and outcomes using generalized regression models that adjusted for patient characteristics (eg, age, clinical severity). Outcomes included: (1) low-resource intensity (LRI) ED visits (visits with no laboratories, imaging, procedures, or admission), (2) ≥2 or ≥3 ED visits, and (3) admission. RESULTS: We analyzed 6 810 864 ED visits by 3 999 880 children. LRI visits were more likely among children from very low compared with very high COI (1 LRI visit: odds ratio [OR] 1.35 [1.17-1.56]; ≥2 LRI visits: OR 1.97 [1.66-2.33]; ≥3 LRI visits: OR 2.4 [1.71-3.39]). ED utilization was more likely among children from very low compared with very high COI (≥2 ED visits: OR 1.73 [1.51-1.99]; ≥3 ED visits: OR 2.22 [1.69-2.91]). Risk of hospital admission from the ED was lower for children from very low compared with very high COI (OR 0.77 [0.65-0.99]). CONCLUSIONS: Children from neighborhoods with low COI had higher ED utilization overall and more LRI visits, as well as visits more cost-effectively managed in primary care settings. Identifying neighborhood opportunity-related drivers can help us design interventions to optimize child health and decrease unnecessary ED utilization and costs.

Setting a universal standard: Should we benchmark quality outcomes for pediatric anesthesia care?

Anesthesiology is a medical specialty well known for its work in patient safety, allowing the field to show a dramatic decrease in perioperative morbidity and mortality in both adults and children since the 1950s. Currently, anesthesia-related mortality is close to zero in healthy children, with deaths occurring primarily in children ASA physical status ≥4. Survival during anesthesia today represents the expectation and standard of care, rather than a marker of quality. Several programs and organizations have created measures to assess safety in pediatric anesthesia-yet none are universally accepted as safety metrics or bundled to evaluate specific aspects of care. In addition, collection of this nonstandardized data in individual centers requires a significant investment of resources and personnel limiting access to only large, "resource-rich" institutions. In this perspective paper, we provide an overview of the efforts made to enhance quality of care across medical specialties with a specific emphasis on pediatric anesthesiology. We discuss the need for standardization of metrics to establish targets and benchmarks for the delivery of high-quality care to children and adolescents mainly in North America. The time has come to move beyond mortality and establish universally accepted minimum outcome standards in pediatric anesthesia. We believe this will ultimately improve confidence in the quality of pediatric anesthesia care offered to children, no matter where they are receiving that care.

Epidemiology and management of abdominal injuries in children.

BACKGROUND: Although more guideline-adherent care has been described in pediatric compared to adult trauma centers, we aimed to provide a more detailed characterization of management and resource utilization of children with intra-abdominal injury (IAI) within pediatric centers. Our primary objective was to describe the epidemiology, diagnostic evaluation, and management of children with IAI across U.S. children's hospitals. Our secondary objective was to describe the interhospital variation in surgical management of children with IAI. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 33 hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System. We included children aged <18 years evaluated in the emergency department from 2010 to 2019 with IAI, as defined by ICD coding, and who underwent an abdominal computed tomography (CT). Our primary outcome was abdominal surgery. We categorized IAI by organ system and described resource utilization data. We used generalized linear regression to calculate adjusted hospital-level proportions of abdominal surgery, with a random effect for hospital. RESULTS: We studied 9265 children with IAI. Median (IQR) age was 9.0 (6.0-13.0) years. Abdominal surgery was performed in 16% (n = 1479) of children, with the lowest proportion of abdominal surgery observed in children aged <5 years. Liver (38.6%) and spleen (32.1%) were the most common organs injured. A total of 3.1% of children with liver injuries and 2.8% with splenic injuries underwent abdominal surgery. Although there was variation in rates of surgery across hospitals (p < 0.001), only three of 33 hospitals had rates that were statistically different from the aggregate mean of 16%. CONCLUSIONS: Most children with IAI are managed nonoperatively, and most children's hospitals manage children with IAI similarly. These data can be used to inform future benchmarking efforts across hospitals to assess concordance with guidelines for the management of children with IAI.

The Association of the Childhood Opportunity Index on Pediatric Readmissions and Emergency Department Revisits.

OBJECTIVE: Reutilization following discharge is costly to families and the health care system. Singular measures of the social determinants of health (SDOH) have been shown to impact utilization; however, the SDOH are multifactorial. The Childhood Opportunity Index (COI) is a validated approach for comprehensive estimation of the SDOH. Using the COI, we aimed to describe the association between SDOH and 30-day revisit rates. METHODS: This retrospective study included children 0 to 17 years within 48 children's hospitals using the Pediatric Health Information System from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2019. The main exposure was a child's ZIP code level COI. The primary outcome was unplanned readmissions and emergency department (ED) revisits within 30 days of discharge. Primary outcomes were summarized by COI category and compared using chi-square or Kruskal-Wallis tests. Adjusted analysis used generalized linear mixed effects models with adjustments for demographics, clinical characteristics, and hospital clustering. RESULTS: Of 728,997 hospitalizations meeting inclusion criteria, 30-day unplanned returns occurred for 96,007 children (13.2%). After adjustment, the patterns of returns were significantly associated with COI. For example, 30-day returns occurred for 19.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.2, 20.0) of children living within very low opportunity areas, with a gradient-like decrease as opportunity increased (15.5%, 95% CI: 14.5, 16.5 for very high). The relative decrease in utilization as COI increased was more pronounced for ED revisits. CONCLUSIONS: Children living in low opportunity areas had greater 30-day readmissions and ED revisits. Our results suggest that a broader approach, including policy and system-level change, is needed to effectively reduce readmissions and ED revisits.

Intravenous Magnesium and Hospital Outcomes in Children Hospitalized With Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Use of intravenous magnesium (IVMg) for childhood asthma exacerbations has increased significantly in the last decade. Emergency department administration of IVMg has been shown to reduce asthma hospitalization, yet most children receiving IVMg in the emergency department are subsequently hospitalized. Our objective with the study was to examine hospital outcomes of children given IVMg for asthma exacerbations. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Pediatric Health Information System. We used propensity score matching to compare children who received IVMg on the first day of hospitalization with those who did not. Primary outcomes were initiation and duration of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. Secondary outcomes included mechanical ventilation (MV) initiation, duration of MV, length of stay, and subsequent tertiary medication use. Primary analysis was restricted to children admitted to nonintensive care inpatient units. RESULTS: Overall, 91 309 hospitalizations met inclusion criteria. IVMg was administered in 25 882 (28.4%) children. After propensity score matching, IVMg was not significantly associated with lower initiation (adjusted odds ratio 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-1.05) or shorter duration of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (rate ratio 0.94; 95% CI 0.87-1.02). Similarly, no significant associations were seen for MV initiation, MV duration, or length of stay. IVMg was associated with lower subsequent tertiary medication use (adjusted odds ratio 0.66; 95% CI 0.60-0.72). However, the association was lost when ipratropium was removed from the tertiary medication definition. CONCLUSIONS: IVMg administration was not significantly associated with improved hospital outcomes. Further study is needed to inform the optimal indications and timing of magnesium use during hospitalization.

Association of Clinical Guidelines and Decision Support with Computed Tomography Use in Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the presence of clinical guidelines and clinical decision support (CDS) for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are associated with lower use of head computed tomography (CT). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 45 pediatric emergency departments (EDs) in the Pediatric Hospital Information System from 2015 through 2019. We included children discharged with mTBI and surveyed ED clinical directors to ascertain the presence and implementation year of clinical guidelines and CDS. The association of clinical guidelines and CDS with CT use was assessed, adjusting for relevant confounders. As secondary outcomes, we evaluated ED length of stay and rates of 3-day ED revisits and admissions after revisits. RESULTS: There were 216 789 children discharged with mTBI, and CT was performed during 20.3% (44 114/216 789) of ED visits. Adjusted hospital-specific CT rates ranged from 11.8% to 34.7% (median 20.5%, IQR 17.3%, 24.3%). Of the 45 EDs, 17 (37.8%) had a clinical guideline, 9 (20.0%) had CDS, and 19 (42.2%) had neither. Compared with EDs with neither a clinical guideline nor CDS, visits to EDs with CDS (aOR 0.52 [0.47, 0.58]) or a clinical guideline (aOR 0.83 [0.78, 0.89]) had lower odds of including a CT for mTBI. ED length of stay and revisit rates did not differ based on the presence of a clinical guideline or CDS. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical guidelines for mTBI, and particularly CDS, were associated with lower rates of head CT use without adverse clinical outcomes.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Diagnostic Imaging at US Children's Hospitals, 2016-2019.

Importance: Diagnostic imaging is frequently performed as part of the emergency department (ED) evaluation of children. Whether imaging patterns differ by race and ethnicity is unknown. Objective: To evaluate racial and ethnic differences in the performance of common ED imaging studies and to examine patterns across diagnoses. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study evaluated visits by patients younger than 18 years to 44 US children's hospital EDs from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2019. Exposures: Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic compared with non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the proportion of visits for each race/ethnicity group with at least 1 diagnostic imaging study, defined as plain radiography, computed tomography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging. The major diagnostic categories classification system was used to examine race/ethnicity differences in imaging rates by diagnoses. Results: A total of 13 087 522 visits by 6 230 911 children and adolescents (mean [SD] age, 5.8 [5.2] years; 52.7% male) occurred during the study period. Diagnostic imaging was performed during 3 689 163 visits (28.2%). Imaging was performed in 33.5% of visits by non-Hispanic White patients compared with 24.1% of visits by non-Hispanic Black patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.60-0.60) and 26.1% of visits by Hispanic patients (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.66-0.67). Adjusting for confounders, visits by non-Hispanic Black (adjusted OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.82-0.83) and Hispanic (adjusted OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.87-0.87) patients were less likely to include any imaging study compared with visits by non-Hispanic White patients. Limiting the analysis to only visits by nonhospitalized patients, the adjusted OR for imaging was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.79-0.80) for visits by non-Hispanic Black patients and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.84-0.85) for visits by Hispanic patients. Results were consistent in analyses stratified by public and private insurance groups and did not materially differ by diagnostic category. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children were less likely to receive diagnostic imaging during ED visits compared with non-Hispanic White children. Further investigation is needed to understand and mitigate these potential disparities in health care delivery and to evaluate the effect of these differential imaging patterns on patient outcomes.

Hospital Observation Status and Readmission Rates.

BACKGROUND: In several states, payers penalize hospitals when an inpatient readmission follows an inpatient stay. Observation stays are typically excluded from readmission calculations. Previous studies suggest inconsistent use of observation designations across hospitals. We sought to describe variation in observation stays and examine the impact of inclusion of observation stays on readmission metrics. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospitalizations at 50 hospitals contributing to the Pediatric Health Information System database from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. We examined prevalence of observation use across hospitals and described changes to inpatient readmission rates with higher observation use. We described 30-day inpatient-only readmission rates and ranked hospitals against peer institutions. Finally, we included observation encounters into the calculation of readmission rates and evaluated hospitals' change in readmission ranking. RESULTS: Most hospitals (n = 44; 88%) used observation status, with high variation in use across hospitals (0%-53%). Readmission rate after index inpatient stay (6.8%) was higher than readmission after an index observation stay (4.4%), and higher observation use by hospital was associated with higher inpatient-only readmission rates. When compared with peers, hospital readmission rank changed with observation inclusion (60% moving at least 1 quintile). CONCLUSIONS: The use of observation status is variable among children's hospitals. Hospitals that more liberally apply observation status perform worse on the current inpatient-to-inpatient readmission metric, and inclusion of observation stays in the calculation of readmission rates significantly affected hospital performance compared with peer institutions. Consideration should be given to include all admission types for readmission rate calculation.

Trends in Use of Advanced Imaging in Pediatric Emergency Departments, 2009-2018.

Importance: There is increased awareness of radiation risks from computed tomography (CT) in pediatric patients. In emergency departments (EDs), evidence-based guidelines, improvements in imaging technology, and availability of nonradiating modalities have potentially reduced CT use. Objective: To evaluate changes over time and hospital variation in advanced imaging use. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study assessed 26 082 062 ED visits by children younger than 18 years from the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2018. Exposures: Imaging. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the change in CT, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rates from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2018. Imaging for specific diagnoses was examined using all patient-refined diagnosis related groups. Secondary outcomes were hospital admission and 3-day ED revisit rates and ED length of stay. Results: There were a total of 26 082 062 visits by 9 868 406 children (mean [SD] age, 5.59 [5.15] years; 13 842 567 [53.1%] male; 9 273 181 [35.6%] non-Hispanic white) to 32 US pediatric EDs during the 10-year study period, with 1 or more advanced imaging studies used in 1 919 283 encounters (7.4%). The proportion of ED encounters with any advanced imaging increased from 6.4% (95% CI, 6.2%-6.2%) in 2009 to 8.7% (95% CI, 8.7%-8.8%) in 2018. The proportion of ED encounters with CT decreased from 3.9% (95% CI, 3.9%-3.9%) to 2.9% (95% CI, 2.9%-3.0%) (P < .001 for trend), with ultrasonography increased from 2.5% (95% CI, 2.5%-2.6%) to 5.8% (95% CI, 5.8%-5.9%) (P < .001 for trend), and with MRI increased from 0.3% (95% CI, 0.3%-0.4%) to 0.6% (95% CI, 0.6%-0.6%) (P < .001 for trend). The largest decreases in CT rates were for concussion (-23.0%), appendectomy (-14.9%), ventricular shunt procedures (-13.3%), and headaches (-12.4%). Factors associated with increased use of nonradiating imaging modalities included ultrasonography for abdominal pain (20.3%) and appendectomy (42.5%) and MRI for ventricular shunt procedures (17.9%) (P < .001 for trend). Across the study period, EDs varied widely in the use of ultrasonography for appendectomy (median, 57.5%; interquartile range [IQR], 40.4%-69.8%) and MRI (median, 15.8%; IQR, 8.3%-35.1%) and CT (median, 69.5%; IQR, 54.5%-76.4%) for ventricular shunt procedures. Overall, ED length of stay did not change, and hospitalization and 3-day ED revisit rates decreased during the study period. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that use of advanced imaging increased from 2009 to 2018. Although CT use decreased, this decrease was accompanied by a greater increase in the use of ultrasonography and MRI. There appears to be substantial variation in practice and a need to standardize imaging practices.

Longitudinal Trends in Costs for Hospitalizations at Children's Hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Children's hospitals are increasingly focused on value-based improvement efforts to improve outcomes and lower costs. Such efforts are generally focused on improving outcomes in specific conditions. Examination of cost drivers across all admissions may facilitate strategic prioritization of efforts. METHODS: Pediatric Health Information System data set discharges from 2010 to 2017 were aggregated into services lines and billing categories. The mean annual growth per discharge as a percentage of 2010 total costs was calculated for aggregated medical and surgical service lines and 6 individual service lines with highest rates of growth. The mean annual growth per discharge for each billing category and changes in length of stay was further assessed. RESULTS: The mean annual growth in total costs was similar for aggregated medical (2.6%) and surgical (2.7%) service lines. Individual medical service lines with highest mean annual growth were oncology (3.5%), reproductive services (2.9%), and nonsurgical orthopedics (2.8%); surgical service lines with highest rate of growth were solid organ transplant (3.7%), ophthalmology (3.3%), and otolaryngology (2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Room costs contributed most consistently to cost increases without concomitant increases in length of stay. Value-based health care initiatives must focus on room cost increases and their impacts on patient outcomes.

Low-Value Diagnostic Imaging Use in the Pediatric Emergency Department in the United States and Canada.

IMPORTANCE: Diagnostic imaging overuse in children evaluated in emergency departments (EDs) is a potential target for reducing low-value care. Variation in practice patterns across Canada and the United States stemming from organization of care, payment structures, and medicolegal environments may lead to differences in imaging overuse between countries. OBJECTIVE: To compare overall and low-value use of diagnostic imaging across pediatric ED visits in Ontario, Canada, and the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study used administrative health databases from 4 pediatric EDs in Ontario and 26 in the United States in calendar years 2006 through 2016. Individuals 18 years and younger who were discharged from the ED, including after visits for diagnoses in which imaging is not routinely recommended (eg, asthma, bronchiolitis, abdominal pain, constipation, concussion, febrile convulsion, seizure, and headache) were included. Data analysis occurred from April 2018 to October 2018. EXPOSURES: Diagnostic imaging use. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: Overall and condition-specific low-value imaging use. Three-day and 7-day rates of hospital admission and those admissions resulting in intensive care, surgery, or in-hospital mortality were assessed as balancing measures. RESULTS: A total of 1 783 752 visits in Ontario and 21 807 332 visits in the United States were analyzed. Compared with visits in the United States, those in Canada had lower overall use of head computed tomography (Canada, 22 942 [1.3%] vs the United States, 753 270 [3.5%]; P < .001), abdomen computed tomography (5626 [0.3%] vs 211 018 [1.0%]; P < .001), chest radiographic imaging (208 843 [11.7%] vs 3 408 540 [15.6%]; P < .001), and abdominal radiographic imaging (77 147 [4.3%] vs 3 607 141 [16.5%]; P < .001). Low-value imaging use was lower in Canada than the United States for multiple indications, including abdominal radiographic images for constipation (absolute difference, 23.7% [95% CI, 23.2%-24.3%]) and abdominal pain (20.6% [95% CI, 20.3%-21.0%]) and head computed tomographic scans for concussion (22.9% [95% CI, 22.3%-23.4%]). Abdominal computed tomographic use for constipation and abdominal pain, although low overall, were approximately 10-fold higher in the United States (0.1% [95% CI, 0.1%-0.2%] vs 1.2% [95% CI, 1.2%-1.2%]) and abdominal pain (0.8% [95% CI, 0.7%-0.9%] vs 7.0% [95% CI, 6.9%-7.1%]). Rates of 3-day and 7-day post-ED adverse outcomes were similar. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Low-value imaging rates were lower in pediatric EDs in Ontario compared with the United States, particularly those involving ionizing radiation. Lower use of imaging in Canada was not associated with higher rates of adverse outcomes, suggesting that usage may be safely reduced in the United States.

Progress (?) Toward Reducing Pediatric Readmissions.

Many children's hospitals are actively working to reduce readmissions to improve care and avoid financial penalties. We sought to determine if pediatric readmission rates have changed over time. We used data from 66 hospitals in the Inpatient Essentials Database including index hospitalizations from January, 2010 through June, 2016. Seven-day all cause (AC) and potentially preventable readmission (PPR) rates were calculated using 3M PPR software. Total and condition-specific quarterly AC and PPR rates were generated for each hospital and in aggregate. We included 4.52 million hospitalizations across all study years. Readmission rates did not vary over the study period. The median seven-day PPR rate across all quarters was 2.5% (range 2.1%-2.5%); the median seven-day AC rate across all quarters was 5.1% (range 4.3%-5.3%). Readmission rates for individual conditions fluctuated. Despite significant national efforts to reduce pediatric readmissions, both AC and PPR readmission rates have remained unchanged over six years.

The Care of Adult Patients in Pediatric Emergency Departments.

OBJECTIVE: Adult patients are increasingly receiving care in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), but little is known about the epidemiology of these visits. The goals of this study were to examine the characteristics of adult patients (≥21 years) treated in PEDs and to describe the variation in resource utilization across centers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study examining visits to 30 PEDs (2012-2016) using the Pediatric Health Information System. Visits were categorized using All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups and compared between age cohorts. We used multivariable logistic models to examine variation in demographics, utilization, testing, treatment, and disposition. RESULTS: There were 12,958,626 visits to the 30 PEDs over 5 years; 70,636 (0.6%) were by adults. Compared with children, adult patients had more laboratory testing (49% vs 34%), diagnostic imaging (32% vs 29%), and procedures (48% vs 31%), and they were more often admitted (17% vs 11%) or transferred (21% vs 0.7%) (P < .001 for all). In multivariable analysis, older age, black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and private insurance were associated with decreased odds of admission in adults seen in PEDs. Across PEDs, the admission rates (7%-25%) and transfer rates (6%-46%) for adults varied. CONCLUSIONS: Adult patients cared for at PEDs have higher rates of testing, diagnostic imaging, procedures, and admission or transfer. There is wide variation in the care of adults in PEDs, highlighting the importance of further work to identify the optimal approach to adults who present for care in pediatric centers.

Impact of Discharge Components on Readmission Rates for Children Hospitalized with Asthma.

OBJECTIVES: To describe hospital-based asthma-specific discharge components at children's hospitals and determine the association of these discharge components with pediatric asthma readmission rates. STUDY DESIGN: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study of pediatric asthma hospitalizations in 2015 at children's hospitals participating in the Pediatric Health Information System. Children ages 5 to 17 years were included. An electronic survey assessing 13 asthma-specific discharge components was sent to quality leaders at all 49 hospitals. Correlations of combinations of asthma-specific discharge components and adjusted readmission rates were calculated. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 92% (45 of 49 hospitals). Thirty-day and 3-month adjusted readmission rates varied across hospitals, ranging from 1.9% to 3.9% for 30-day readmissions and 5.7% to 9.1% for 3-month readmissions. No individual or combination discharge components were associated with lower 30-day adjusted readmission rates. The only single-component significantly associated with a lower rate of readmission at 3 months was having comprehensive content of education (P < .029). Increasing intensity of discharge components in bundles was associated with reduced adjusted 3-month readmission rates, but this did not reach statistical significance. This was seen in a 2-discharge component bundle including content of education and communication with the primary medical doctor, as well as a 3-discharge component bundle, which included content of education, medications in-hand, and home-based environmental mitigation. CONCLUSIONS: Children's hospitals demonstrate a range of asthma-specific discharge components. Although we found no significant associations for specific hospital-level discharge components and asthma readmission rates at 30 days, certain combinations of discharge components may support hospitals to reduce healthcare utilization at 3 months.

Predicting Low-Resource-Intensity Emergency Department Visits in Children.

OBJECTIVES: Interventions to reduce frequent emergency department (ED) use in children are often limited by the inability to predict future risk. We sought to develop a population-based model for predicting Medicaid-insured children at risk for high frequency (HF) of low-resource-intensity (LRI) ED visits. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of Medicaid-insured children (aged 1-18 years) included in the MarketScan Medicaid database with ≥1 ED visit in 2013. LRI visits were defined as ED encounters with no laboratory testing, imaging, procedures, or hospitalization; and HF as ≥3 LRI ED visits within 365 days of the initial encounter. A generalized linear regression model was derived and validated using a split-sample approach. Validity testing was conducted examining model performance using 3 alternative definitions of LRI. RESULTS: Among 743,016 children with ≥1 ED visit in 2013, 5% experienced high-frequency LRI ED use, accounting for 21% of all LRI visits. Prior LRI ED use (2 visits: adjusted odds ratio = 3.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.3, 3.7; and ≥3 visits: adjusted odds ratio = 7.7; 95% confidence interval, 7.3, 8.1) and presence of ≥3 chronic conditions (adjusted odds ratio = 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6, 1.8) were strongly associated with future HF-LRI ED use. A model incorporating patient characteristics and prior ED use predicted future HF-LRI ED utilization with an area under the curve of 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: Demographic characteristics and patterns of prior ED use can predict future risk of HF-LRI ED use in the following year. Interventions for reducing low-value ED use in these high-risk children should be considered.

Improving Reliability to a Care Goal Rounding Template in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Effective pediatric intensive care requires addressing many important aspects of care delivery during morning rounds, often achieved using a rounding checklist. Our objective was to develop a care goal rounding template and then double the reliability of discussion of rounding topics during morning rounds without the use of a checklist. METHODS: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement was used for this initiative. A care goal rounding template was established through discussions and consensus with pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) faculty. Rounds were audited in a blinded fashion over a 3-month period to obtain baseline data on rounding topic discussion. Three interventions were then trialed (plan, do, study, act cycles) over a 12-month period. Weekly reliability in rounding topic discussion was tracked. RESULTS: Baseline reliability with discussion of rounding topics was 36%. The first intervention included the use of a standardized progress note in the electronic health record, which contained topics and served to prompt the discussion on rounds. The second intervention was implementation of laminated cards provided to PICU fellows highlighting the elements of the care goal rounding template. The third intervention addressed a standardized handoff sheet often used during rounds. Mean reliability for discussion of rounding topics improved to 52% shortly following the second intervention. Reliability was sustained more than 1 year later. CONCLUSIONS: Following the establishment of a PICU care goal rounding template and various interventions, the reliability in discussing important care goal elements on patient rounds improved.

Regional Variation in Standardized Costs of Care at Children's Hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To evaluate regional variation in costs of care for 3 inpatient pediatric conditions, (2) assess potential drivers of variation, and (3) estimate cost savings from reducing variation. DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective cohort study of hospitalizations for asthma, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at 46 children