Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Well-Child Care Visits and Risk of Ambulatory Care–Sensitive Hospitalizations

Young children who missed more than half of recommended well-child visits had up to twice the risk of hospitalization compared to children who attended most of their visits. The study included more than 20,000 children enrolled at Group Health Cooperative.

Children with chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease were even more likely to be hospitalized when they missed visits, according to the study. In fact, children with chronic conditions who missed more than half of the recommended well-child visits had more than three times the risk of being hospitalized compared to children with chronic conditions who attended most of their visits.