Pediatric Preventable Hospitalization Rates by County in California

2015-2016 data from California provides hospitalization counts and rates for 4 specific conditions and 3 composite measures among patients under 18 years old. The dataset, from the State of California's Department of Health Care Access and Information, is used to assess community health service quality. It distinguishes between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes starting in 2016.

Use Cases

• Analyze county-level hospitalization rates for asthma (age 2-17) to identify geographic disparities in outpatient care access.
• Compare rates of diabetes short-term complications (age 6-17) and gastroenteritis (age 3 months-17 years) to evaluate prevention program effectiveness.
• Investigate the impact of the ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM code transition in 2016 on reported rates for urinary tract infections and composite measures.
• Benchmark acute versus chronic condition composite measure rates across counties to prioritize public health interventions.

Strengths

• Focuses on 4 specific pediatric conditions and 3 composite measures, providing targeted indicators for healthcare quality assessment.
• Data is distinguished by ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM coding systems from 2016 onward, acknowledging a major methodological change.
• Provides both statewide and county-level granularity for geographic analysis of health service access.

Limitations

• Includes retired measures for perforated appendix and low birth weight, limiting their temporal relevance for current analysis.
• The 2015 data is incomplete, containing only the first three quarters due to the ICD code transition.
• The dataset does not measure hospital quality directly, only potentially preventable events as a proxy for outpatient care access.

Provenance

Source

State of California, Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI).

Collection Method

Hospital administrative data reported to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

Time Range

2015-2016, with a noted transition in diagnostic coding effective October 1, 2015.

Freshness

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Geography

State of California, with data available statewide and by county.