Achievable Benchmarks of Care in Pediatric Emergency Departments - Summary - MDSpire

Achievable Benchmarks of Care in Pediatric Emergency Departments

  • By

  • Elizabeth R. Alpern

  • Sriram Ramgopal

  • Cody S. Olsen

  • Norma-Jean E. Simon

  • James M. Chamberlain

  • Evaline Alessandrini

  • Lynn Babcock

  • Lalit Bajaj

  • Cara Elsholz

  • Alexander Rogers

  • Bashar Shihabuddin

  • Leah Tzimenatos

  • Patrick S. Walsh

  • Joseph J. Zorc

  • Lawrence Cook

  • Robert W. Grundmeier

  • PECARN Registry Study Group

  • Diego Campos

  • Sara Deakyne Davies

  • Marc Gorelick

  • Brent Husley

  • May 19, 2026

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Objective:

To calculate achievable benchmarks of care (ABCs) for pediatric emergency department (ED) performance using data from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Registry, specifically focusing on data collected from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2023.

Key Findings:
  • ABCs provide attainable system-level goals for pediatric ED performance.
  • Mean performance alone does not adequately motivate improvement due to its lack of specificity in identifying areas for growth.
  • ABCs were established for common pediatric conditions such as asthma and bronchiolitis.
Interpretation:

The establishment of ABCs allows for realistic performance goals that can drive quality improvement in pediatric emergency care, moving away from the unrealistic pursuit of perfect performance.

Limitations:
  • Study results may not be generalizable to all pediatric EDs due to the specific sample of participating sites.
  • Exclusion of certain clinician types may limit the comprehensiveness of the performance data, potentially skewing results.
Conclusion:

Achievable benchmarks of care can effectively guide quality improvement efforts in pediatric emergency departments, fostering a more realistic approach to performance measurement.

Original Source(s)

Achievable Benchmarks of Care in Pediatric Emergency Departments

  • by Elizabeth R. Alpern, Sriram Ramgopal, Cody S. Olsen, Norma-Jean E. Simon, James M. Chamberlain, Evaline Alessandrini, Lynn Babcock, Lalit Bajaj, Cara Elsholz, Alexander Rogers, Bashar Shihabuddin, Leah Tzimenatos, Patrick S. Walsh, Joseph J. Zorc, Lawrence Cook, Robert W. Grundmeier, PECARN Registry Study Group, Diego Campos, Sara Deakyne Davies, Marc Gorelick, Brent Husley

  • May 19, 2026

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