The purpose of this project is to:

• Determine the extent to which rural children are hospitalized for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC); and
• Analyze state differences and the relationship between characteristics of the local health care system and population, including poverty, uninsurance, and physician supply, and ACSC admissions for rural children.

HCUP State Inpatient Databases (SID) from six states, data from the Area Resource File and the AHRQ Pediatric Quality Indicators will be used to examine ACSC admission rates for rural children.

Publications

• Ambulatory Care Sensitive Condition Hospitalizations Among Rural Children (Brief)
  Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2007
  This brief reports results from a study examining children's inpatient hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, rural residence, poverty, health insurance, and physician supply. Admission rates were examined for asthma, diabetes short-term complications, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection, and perforated appendix.