Multi-institutional approach to regionalization of pediatric critical care. Seven year experience.

A multi-institutional, pediatric intensive care program initiated in Jacksonville, Florida, is a systematic approach to critical care which avoids costly duplication and provides efficient clinical services and an academic fellowship program. A total of 6,876 consecutive admissions to the two units over a seven-year period are discussed and compared to national data. A coordinated system may provide a model for other communities; however, the ability to expand services in a market where public and private third party funding is being reduced may become a problem.