Kharbanda AB, et al. - The cost of diagnosing and treating suspected appendicitis was compared across a multicenter network of children's hospitals. For appendicitis, ultrasound (US) was demonstrated to be the primary imaging modality. Compared to sites that primarily used computed tomography (CT), sites that preferentially utilized US displayed lower costs per case. Variation in imaging rates across sites was noted due to practice patterns that resulted in a significant cost consequence without higher rates for negative appendectomies or missed appendicitis cases.