October 2020

PA Health CareCost Three-Year Hospitalization Trends: Opioids, Alcohol, Cocaine and
Containment Council

Amphetamines

This research brief examines three-year trends in hospital admissions related to opioids,
alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines (calendar years 2017, 2018 and 2019). It includes
Pennsylvania residents, age 15 and older, who were admitted to a Pennsylvania general acute
care hospital. This analysis does not include substance-related encounters that did not result in
a hospital admission such as those treated in the emergency department and not admitted to
the hospital and substance-related deaths that occurred outside the hospital setting.

 

Key Points
This research brief includes hospitalization data

for both overdose and substance use disorder: @ Among the substances analyzed in this brief, the largest
decrease in hospitalization rates was for opioid

Overdose hospitalizations are those where
overdose (29.7% decrease).

the patient was admitted to the hospital for

an overdose. @ The largest increase in hospitalization rates was for

amphetamine overdose (68.0% increase), although the
number of hospitalizations for amphetamine overdose
was relatively small (391 in 2019) when compared to
opioids and cocaine.

Substance use disorder includes hospital
admissions where substance use disorder
(dependence and abuse) was the primary
reason for admission—usually because the
patient was experiencing withdrawal or
other symptoms—or hospitalizations where
the patient was admitted for another
condition but also had substance use
disorder as a co-occurring condition.

@ The number of hospital admissions for cocaine overdose
rose from 944 in 2017 to 1,204 in 2018 and dropped to
1,073 in 2019.

@ The highest number of hospitalizations was for those
related to alcohol use disorder (over 60,000 a year for
each of the three years studied).

Graph 1: Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations

 

 

> Opioid Overdose (Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)
The hospitalization rate for opioid overdose decreased 33.0 25.1 23.2
29.7% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 1). The number of = ——jj— =]
hospital admissions dropped from 3,500 in 2017 to 2,667 in
2018 and 2,468 in 2019. el aus ee
Graph 2: Opioid Use Disorder Hospitalizations
> Op io id Use Diso rder (Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)
The hospitalization rate for opioid use disorder decreased 313.5 297.3 aoet
6.5% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 2). The number of B a a
hospital admissions dropped from 33,212 in 2017 to 31,556
in 2018 and 31,162 in 2019. 2017 2018 2019

er Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council 1
> Alcohol Overdose

Overall, the hospitalization rate for alcohol overdose
increased 29.9% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 3). The
number of hospital admissions rose from 234 in 2017 to
338 in 2018 and dropped to 305 in 2019.

> Alcohol Use Disorder

The hospitalization rate for alcohol use disorder remained
fairly steady (decreased 0.5%) between 2017 and 2019
(graph 4). The lowest number of hospital admissions
among the three years was 60,416 in 2019. The numbers
were 60,535 and 60,645 in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

> Cocaine Overdose
Overall, the hospitalization rate for cocaine overdose
increased 13.3% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 5). The

number of hospital admissions rose from 944 in 2017 to
1,204 in 2018 and dropped to 1,073 in 2019.

> Cocaine Use Disorder
Overall, the hospitalization rate for cocaine use disorder
decreased 1.7% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 6). The
number of hospital admissions rose from 17,683 in 2017
to 18,451 in 2018 and dropped to 17,445 in 2019.

> Amphetamine Overdose
Between 2017 and 2019, the hospitalization rate for
amphetamine overdose increased 68.0% (graph 7). The
number of hospital admissions rose from 232 in 2017 to
314 in 2018 and to 391 in 2019.

> Amphetamine Use Disorder
The hospitalization rate for amphetamine use disorder
increased 62.6% between 2017 and 2019 (graph 8). The

number of hospital admissions rose from 4,149 in 2017 to
5,442 in 2018 and to 6,770 in 2019.

et Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council

Graph 3: Alcohol Overdose Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

 

22 3.2 2.9
2017 2018 2019

Graph 4: Alcohol Use Disorder Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

 

571.4 571.3 568.4
a = —ai
2017 2018 2019

Graph 5: Cocaine Overdose Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

8.9 11.3 10.1
—_— —i— —i

 

2017 2018 2019

Graph 6: Cocaine Use Disorder Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

 

166.9 173.8 164.1
— — + —s
2017 2018 2019

Graph 7: Amphetamine Overdose Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

 

22 3.0 3.7
— —i— =
2017 2018 2019

Graph 8: Amphetamine Use Disorder Hospitalizations
(Rate per 100,000 PA Residents)

39.2 51.3 63.7
| =

2017 2018 2019