Rural-Urban Differences in Emergency Department Choice for Children With Medical Complexity, 2012-2017.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Children with medical complexity (CMC) may bypass emergency departments (EDs) close to home to seek care at hospitals with more specialized pediatric services. However, few studies have examined ED choice for CMC or how this differs by rurality. This work describes rural-urban differences in ED care and bypass patterns, examines associations between ED bypass and visit outcomes, and identifies factors associated with ED bypass.

Methods

We analyzed 2012 to 2017 all-payer claims data from Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Bypass was defined as a driving time of ≥5 minutes than time to the closest ED. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with ED bypass and examine associations between bypass and rates of inter-facility transfer, index h

SUBMITTER: Freyleue SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12624847 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature