5 Eye-Opening Data Points About Children's Hospitals

Thousands of hospitals care for kids, but children's hospitals exist solely to serve young patients.

These one-of-a-kind hospitals are singularly focused on meeting the needs of kids and their families.

You already know they offer tailored programming and support services, specially trained staff, and facilities equipped for kids. But do you know these five surprising statistics that show the breadth and depth of what they do?

Care for 50% of children admitted to hospitals

Children’s hospitals make up only 3% of hospitals in the U.S., but they treat nearly half of children who are admitted to hospitals of any type.  

Though children's hospitals treat kids everywhere all year, admission patterns vary by region and season. Get a high-level look at these patterns with CHA's Children’s Hospitals Landscape Report that shows inpatient admission trends by geographic region.

Provide 95% of pediatric cancer care

Around 15,000 children in the U.S. in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Almost all of them are cared for by a children's hospital.

Children with cancer need care from not only oncologists but a host of other pediatric specialties. On top of having the nation's leading pediatrics oncologists on staff, children's hospitals bring together all of the specialists under one roof to ensure each child receives comprehensive care at every stage of their cancer journey.

Train 55% of pediatricians and specialists

More than half of all pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists are trained at children's hospitals. That includes the pediatric nurses, therapists, and technicians kids rely on.

As vital training grounds for pediatric providers, children's hospitals rely on the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program to ensure a robust pediatric workforce. Congress allocates funds to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) which distributes funding to 59 children's hospitals.

50% of patients have Medicaid

On average, half of children’s hospitals’ patients are covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). Some children’s hospitals’ percentage of Medicaid patients reaches 75%.

Traditionally, Medicaid’s reimbursement to hospitals is lower than Medicare or private insurance, providing only 80% of the cost of care provided — including all supplemental payments.

Return $129 billion in community benefit

Children’s hospitals are deeply embedded in their communities, offering far more than acute medical care. They address root causes of health conditions in the places children and their families live, work, and learn. Housing remediation, food clinics, legal aid, vocational training, financial mentorship, and education support are only a handful of the services they provide through their own programs and community partnerships. An American Hospital Association (AHA) analysis showed that tax-exempt hospitals provided more than $129 billion in total benefit to their communities in 2020 alone. 

Many factors make children’s hospitals unique. Here are seven truths you may not know about children's hospitals.