Baltimore, MD, Oct. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While most hospitals can treat children adequately for a broken bone or fever, relatively few children, compared with the total patient population, face life-threatening or rare conditions. Pediatric specialists are often a better choice when treating severe or rare afflictions that could be severely detrimental or even fatal, to young children. A typical hospital, where nearly all inpatients are adults, will not be able to provide the expertise needed for the treatment of a severely ill child. Even a large hospital with a busy maternity ward may not be equipped to deal with a premature newborn weighing just a few pounds or requiring surgery for a congenital heart defect. Most hospitals don't see large numbers of children with cancer, respiratory illnesses or kidney conditions. Since some younger patients have to spend long periods in the hospital, having access to play and teaching staff can also be an important part of their care, and many children's hospitals will continue to see children with rare illnesses into adulthood, allowing for a continuity of care.
Even among children's hospitals, some hospitals are better than others. In 2006, U.S. News & World Report began collecting data that would allow the ranking of pediatric centers on their ability to help children who need it the most. They gather critical clinical data from almost 200 medical centers through a detailed survey that looks at measures such as patient safety, infection prevention, and adequacy of nurse staffing. In addition, part of each hospital’s score is derived from surveys of more than 15,000 pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. In 2023, only 89 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the 10 pediatric specialties evaluated. Ten hospitals ranked at the top of their class and were named to the 2023-2024 Honor Roll.
As the premier pediatric network, Accarent Health is able to provide access to the best children’s hospitals nationwide, often to members who may not have had access otherwise. Every hospital in the growing Accarent pediatric network was included in the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals Rankings. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center were included on the Honor Roll. Accarent offers a variety of pediatric offerings at these hospitals, including congenital heart defect repair, solid organ and bone marrow transplant, CAR T-cell therapy, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis fusion, pectus excavatum Nuss procedure, craniotomy and craniectomy, and cochlear implant.
About Accarent Health
Accarent Health connects employers, patients, and plan administrators to a network of top rated medical centers for superior cost effective care. Accarent Health offers an online platform with transparent defined bundled pricing, pertinent clinical information, travel and concierge assistance, and certified nurse case management directly to consumers, making value-based healthcare understandable for the decision maker with no annual membership fees or volume requirements.
Employers interested in adopting a value based health care system can learn more about Accarent Health at www.accarenthealth.com
