To describe the population of children in foster care who have heart disease and to study the impact of foster care status on acute hospital resource utilization and outcomes.
Approach:
Key Findings:
Children and youth in foster care with heart disease had greater medical complexity.
They were more likely to experience socioeconomic disadvantage.
Hospital length of stay was 22% longer for children in foster care compared to those not in foster care.
In-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission rates did not differ between the two groups.
Interpretation:
Foster care status is an important social determinant of health in pediatric cardiology, indicating a need for targeted care coordination and support.
Limitations:
Foster care status may be undercaptured due to reliance on ICD-10 codes.
The study does not include adjudicated child welfare or longitudinal custody data.
Conclusion:
Recognizing foster care as a social determinant of health is essential for understanding the challenges faced by pediatric populations with heart disease.
A VHA study across 11 vendors finds AI-generated primary care notes score lower than clinician-written notes, with the largest deficits in thoroughness, organization, and usefulness
