The Medical Costs of Childhood Injuries: Hospitalizations

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In 2015, the total medical costs of injury-related hospitalizations of children age 19 and younger was $6.6 billion. This infographic breaks out the medical cost of hospitalizations of children by injury topic.

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This is part of a series on the costs of childhood injuries.

Additional infographics on the medical costs of childhood injuries:

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Fact sheet

The Medical Costs of Childhood Injuries: Hospitalizations

In 2015, the total medical costs of injury-related hospitalizations of children age 19 and younger was $6.6 billion[1]

These costs include the admission itself, emergency transport, readmissions, follow-up treatments, rehabilitation, nursing home stays, long-term care, and insurance and claims administration expenses

The injuries below represent $4.5 billion of the total medical costs of injury-related hospitalizations

 

Cost

Falls[2] (ages 0-19)

$1.1 billion

Teen Occupant2,[3] (ages 15-19)

$1.1 billion

Assault (ages 0-19)

$718.8 million

Self-Harm (ages 10-19)

$456.0 million

Struck By/Against2,[4] (ages 0-19)

$375.1 million

Child Occupant2 (ages 0-14)

$287.2 million

Fire/Burn2,[5] (ages 0-19)

$249.9 million

Poisoning2 (ages 0-19)

$110.5 million

Drowning2 (ages 0-19)

$52.8 million

 

To view this infographic on the web, please visit: http://ChildrensSafetyNetwork.org/infographics/medical-costs-childhood-injuries-hospitalizations

Source: CDC WISQARS. Available from: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. 2015 Data. All costs are in 2015 dollars.

 

[1] If hospitalized medical costs were computed using the 2014 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample rather than 2015 NEISS data, the costs would rise slightly from $6.6 billion to $7 billion (in 2015 dollars).

[2] Indicates injuries were unintentional

[3] Teen occupant includes teen drivers and passengers

[4] Struck by/against is defined as injuries caused by striking (hitting) by or against a human, animal, or inanimate object or force other than a vehicle or machinery

[5] The injury hospitalization count includes burn patients treated in the ED and transferred, since these patients typically are transferred to a burn center and admitted