Potentially Preventable Inpatient Hospitalization Rates For Children Have Declined, But Observation Stays Increased

Potentially preventable inpatient hospitalizations among children between the ages of 6 and 17 with ambulatory care-sensitive conditions such as asthma and diabetes declined between 2010 and 2019, but observation stays increased during the same period, according to a recent study. Outpatient observation stays increased from 30.2% of hospital stays in 2010 to 45.7% in 2019. In 2010, 2,090 of 6,923 hospital stays were observation stays; in 2019, 2,525 of 5,531 were observation stays.

The researchers analyzed data on hospital inpatient and observation stays for youth aged 6 to 17 for ambulatory care-sensitive . . .