Injury prevention and emergency medical services for children in a managedcare environment

Each year, 1 in 5 US children receives medical care as a result of injury. Injuries are the leading cause of medical spending for children ages 5 to 2 1 years, accounting for more than 20% of hospital admissions and days spent in the hospital. Pediatric injuries become an important issue for managed care organizations because of concern for member safety and increasing medi cal costs related to treatment. Because effective prevention decreases heal th care consumption, injury prevention often costs less than treating injur ies. Simple devices, such as bicycle helmets, smoke detectors, and child sa fety seats, help keep children safe and save money. Appropriate emergency c are at the scene of an injury, poison control centers that dispense expert advice over the telephone, and triaged regional trauma systems improve the outcome and save money at the same time. This article continues the white p aper series by the Emergency Medical Services for Children Managed Care Tas k Force.