OBJECTIVE To examine the possible impact of changes in the organization and management of the Medicaid program on hospitalization patterns for children with chronic and nonchronic conditions between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 1998. DESIGN Longitudinal retrospective study of hospitalization patterns of children in 4 strata: Medicaid, non-Medicaid, chronic conditions, and nonchronic cond...

BACKGROUND Bright artificial light improves non-seasonal depression. Preliminary observations suggest that sunlight could share this effect. METHODS Length of hospitalization was recorded for a sample of 415 unipolar and 187 bipolar depressed inpatients, assigned to rooms with eastern (E) or western (W) windows. RESULTS Bipolar inpatients in E rooms (exposed to direct sunlight in the mornin...

PURPOSE Care of the very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infant is associated with prolonged hospitalization and increased hospital costs. Specific complications of prematurity, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), late-onset sepsis (LOS), and feeding intolerance, contribute to increased cost and length of hospitalization in this population. The provision of breast milk to VLBW infants has been a...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the effects of establishing a Department of General Internal Medicine (DGIM) on the length of hospitalization. We evaluated the length of hospitalization associated with diseases for which full-time specialists were not available and were instead treated by physicians of the DGIM after its establishment. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted...

Acinetobacter infections have increased and gained attention because of the organism's prolonged environmental survival and propensity to develop antimicrobial drug resistance. The effect of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter infection on clinical outcomes has not been reported. A retrospective, matched cohort investigation was performed at 2 Baltimore hospitals to examine outcomes of pati...