Growth spurt: A big expansion in pediatric care

Big money is being spent on building and renovating children's hospitals, and administrators hope that physicians and parents notice.

By Katherine Vogt, AMNews staff. July 19, 2004.

Earth is being moved, walls are coming down, and pipes and wires are being ripped out at scores of children's hospitals across the nation.

It's not a sign of an apocalypse in pediatric care. Rather, these hospitals are undergoing massive renovation and expansion projects. They are part of a boom in construction at children's hospitals that has been gaining momentum for a couple of years and hasn't showed signs of slowing.

The examples are too numerous to list. From Las Vegas to New Orleans to New York, pediatric facilities are spending tens of millions of dollars to add beds, surgical suites, family centers, more private rooms and expanded ambulatory services.

Observers say several factors could be combining to fuel the trend. First, many existing facilities are older and need to be updated to accommodate new technology and the evolving ways that care is provided. Next, many hospitals are seeking to redesign themselves to better serve the needs of patients' families. From a market standpoint, children's hospitals might be getting a larger portion of child admissions as pediatric wards at general hospitals shrink. Finally, a surge in overall hospital construction could be resonating in children's hospitals as well.

For family physicians, pediatricians and pediatric specialists, the implications of the building boom are obvious. They will have enhanced and expanded facilities for treating their patients. And there could be greater demand for subspecialists -- some of whom are already in high demand -- to staff those facilities. But the potential effects on other physicians are worth noting as well.