Assessment of Annual Cost of Substance Use Disorder in US Hospitals

Source:

Peterson C, Li M, Xu L, Mikosz CA, Luo F. Assessment of Annual Cost of Substance Use Disorder in US Hospitals. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e210242. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0242

Key Points

Question  How much does substance use disorder cost each year in US hospitals?

Findings  In this economic evaluation of 124 573 175 hospital emergency department encounters and 33 648 910 hospital inpatient encounters, the annual medical cost associated with substance use disorder in US emergency departments and inpatient settings exceeded $13 billion in 2017.

Meaning  These findings suggest that costs associated with substance use disorder are high; costs of treatment and prevention could potentially be offset by reducing the direct medical cost of substance use disorder.