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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Croup is a clinical diagnosis, and the available evidence suggests that, except in rare cases, ancillary testing, such as radiologic imaging, is not helpful. Given the paucity of inpatient-specific evidence for croup care, we hypothesized that there would be marked variability in the use of not routinely indicated resources (NRIRs). Our primary study objective was to describe the variation and predictors of variation in the use of NRIRs. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study that used the Pediatric Health Information System database of generally healthy inpatients with croup aged 6 months to 15 years who were admitted between January 1, 2012 and September 30, 2014. We measured variability in the use of NRIRs: chest and lateral neck radiographs, viral testing, parenteral steroids, and antibiotics. Risk-adjusted analysis was used to compare resource utilization adjusted for hospital-specific effects and average case mix. RESULTS: The cohort included 26 hospitals and 6236 patients with a median age of 18 months. Nine percent of patients required intensive care services, and 3% had a 30-day readmission for croup. We found marked variability in adjusted and unadjusted utilization across hospitals for all resources. In the risk-adjusted analysis, hospital-specific effects rather than patient characteristics were the main predictor of variability in the use of NRIRs. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an up to fivefold difference in NRIR utilization attributable to hospital-level practice variability in inpatient croup care. This study highlights a need for inpatient-specific evidence and quality-improvement interventions to reduce unnecessary utilization and to improve patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize variation in hospital resource utilization and readmission for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) across US children’s hospitals. METHODS: The study sample included a retrospective cohort of children aged 2 to 18 years with a diagnosis of DKA at 38 children’s hospitals between 2004 and 2009. The main outcomes were resource utilization as determined by total standardized cost per hospitalization, overall and non-ICU length of stay (LOS), and readmission for DKA within 30 and 365 days. RESULTS: There were 24 890 DKA admissions, and 20.3% of these were readmissions within 1 year. The mean hospital-level total standardized cost was $7142 (range $4125–$11 916). The mean hospital-level LOS was 2.5 days (1.5–3.7), and the non-ICU portion was 1.9 days (0.7–2.7). The mean hospital-level readmission within 365 days was 18.7% (6.5%–41.1%) and within 30 days was 2.5% (0.0%–7.1%). Hospital bed days overall, and in particular the non-ICU portion, accounted for the majority of the total standardized cost per hospitalization (overall 57%; non-ICU 36%) and explained most of the variation in resource use. Even after adjusting for difference in patient characteristics across hospitals, widespread differences existed across hospitals in total standardized cost, LOS, and readmission rates (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Readmission for DKA within a year of hospitalization is common. US children’s hospitals vary widely in resource use, hospital LOS, and readmission rates for patients with DKA. Our study highlights the need for additional research to understand these differences and to identify the most cost-effective strategies for managing diabetes across the continuum of care.