"Where have all the children gone"? Inpatient pediatric care in Connecticut.

: Admission of children to hospitals in Connecticut dropped precipitously from 1981 to 1991. Regionalization of pediatric inpatient care is happening without plan. Connecticut data show a change in case-mix of pediatric cases, especially in surgical services and child mental illness categories. Planning for pediatric inpatient services should include considerations of case-mix, cost, and especially, quality of care in general hospital pediatric units with very low volume.