Pediatric Capabilities in US Hospitals: 2003-2022.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate how availability of pediatric-capable hospitals has changed over 2 decades.

Methods

We studied US acute care hospitals from 2003 to 2022 using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database. We determined the annual proportion of hospitals by pediatric capability level from 1 to 4, defined by which of 24 services were provided (level 1: broadest range; level 4: minimal services). We used Poisson models adjusting for hospital characteristics to evaluate changes from 2003 to 2022. We also measured changes in provision of each specific service.

Results

We analyzed a mean 3927 hospitals per year, which in 2022 were 67.3% nonprofit, 39.7% urban teaching, 47.0% small, and 37.4% in the South. The number of high-capability hospitals

SUBMITTER: Michelson KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817306 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature