The impact of a pediatric practice on hospital admissions in a rural area.

The establishment of a two-man pediatric practice in a rural area of New Mexico was followed by a decrease in hospital admissions of children and an increase in average length of stay. While other factors may have been involved, The reliance of the study region's children on pediatricians rather than family physicians for primary care may have contributed to the decline in hospitalization. Further research on the relationship between source of care and hospital utilization is needed.