In a study of Massachusetts hospitals published in JAMA Pediatrics, the number of transfers for pediatric patients another increased by more than 36 percent from 2004 to 2014, with only 20 percent of the state’s hospitals completing care for a pediatric patient without a transfer.
“Pediatric hospital care is less available than it used to be, mostly because community hospitals are increasingly transferring children to larger centers,” study author Michael McManus, MD, a pediatrician and professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said to Reuters.
Care for all ages is now more likely to require a transfer. Consolidation of care into regional centers has been more pronounced for pediatric patients, however, than for adults.
“Fewer children are being cared for in community hospitals,” said Nicholas Mohr, a professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, who was not involved in the study. “The big question is whether that’s good or bad.”
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.