OBJECTIVES: To answer basic questions, using precise definitions, regarding @entity341 ( @entity341 ) utilization, wait times, services, and attending physician staffing of representative @entity26144 ( @entity26144 ). METHODS: Ten questions with precise definitions were developed and sent to members of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association's PED Directors' Special Interest Group in November of 2001, with two repeated requests 3 and 6 months later. RESULTS: Twenty-one @entity26144 from 14 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada responded (41%). The average PED has 48,000 @entity1 visits per year (range, 25,000-97,000). Two thirds have urgent care or fast track areas to see nonurgent @entity1 , while only 29% have 23-hour treatment units. The average admission rate is 13.2% (range, 6.8-20.8%). The average rate of @entity1 who leave without being seen is 1.6%. The average @entity1 waits 1 hour to see a physician and spends a total of 3 hours in the PED. The majority of attending staffing is by pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) Board-certified/eligible physicians (73%), although a few @entity26144 are staffed only by PEM specialists. Attending staffing is 2.8 @entity1 per attending per hour, or 0.36 hours per @entity1 , with more staffing for @entity26144 with higher admission rates or acuity. The average entry-level base salary for PED physicians in 2000 was 117,250 dollars (range, 98,000 dollars-145,000 dollars). CONCLUSIONS: Benchmarking of PEM staffing and performance indicators by PEM directors yields important administrative data. @entity26144 have higher census and admission rates compared with information from all EDs, while their attending staffing, wait times, and rate of @entity1 who leave without being seen are comparable to those of general EDs.

Pediatric XXXX directors' benchmarking survey: fiscal year 2001.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity341 :: ('MESH:D004630', 'Disease') :: ['emergency department', 'ED'] @entity26144 :: ('MESH:C564542', 'Disease') :: ['PEDs', 'pediatric EDs']
@entity341 :: (MESH:D004630,Disease) :: ['emergency department']
