Abstract
(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. Retrospective cohort study of hospitalizations for asthma, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at 46 children< 0.001) for each condition in each region. Drivers of variation were encounter-level variables including length of stay and intensive care unit utilization. For this cohort, annual savings from reducing variation would equal $69.1 million at the interregional level and $25.2 million at the intraregional level. Pediatric hospital costs vary between and within regions. Future studies should examine how much of this variation is avoidable. To the extent that less spending does not compromise outcomes, care models may be adjusted to eliminate unwarranted variation and reduce costs.
