Cost of Childhood Chest Pain Evaluation is Higher in Emergency Departments with Fewer Pediatric Resources

Abstract

Purpose: Chest pain is a common chief complaint in children presenting to emergency departments and pediatric cardiologists. Despite the low incidence of cardiac pathology in children with chest pain, costly evaluations with uncertain benefits persist. The purpose of this study is to assess resource utilization across hospitals with varying levels of pediatric resources and compare clinical outcomes. Our hypothesis is that hospitals with fewer pediatric resources will generate higher costs without increased rates of specific diagnoses. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of emergency department …