by Julian Walker
In recent years, the annual number of patients diagnosed with drug use disorder who are treated and discharged by Virginia hospitals has been on an upward trajectory, rising by 11.3 percent from 2020 (57,925 patient discharges) to 2024 (64,460 patient discharges).
A new analysis from the VHHA Data Analytics Team also shows that trend tracks in year-over-year and average quarterly patient discharge numbers involving patients with a diagnosed drug use disorder.
In 2020, the quarterly discharge average was 14,481. The average rose to 15,499 (a 7 percent increase) in 2021. It remained relatively flat (15,471) in 2022, then rose again to a quarterly average of 16,062 in 2023 and 16,115 in 2024. Over five years, the quarterly average increase was 11.3 percent.
By year, the discharge counts are 57,925 (2020), 61,997 (2021), 61,884 (2022), 64,248 (2023), and 64,460 (2024).
The analysis, which is based on data from the VHHA inpatient database and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) drug use disorder diagnosis codes, also shows that more than half of the discharges (51.6 percent) involved patients covered by Medicaid, with 18.3 percent involving Medicare patients, and 12.6 percent among patients with commercial insurance.
The highest volumes of patients identified in this study received care from facilities in the following localities: the City of Richmond (6.9 percent), Fairfax County (5.6 percent), Henrico County (4.6 percent), the City of Norfolk (4.4 percent), the City of Virginia Beach (4.4 percent), Chesterfield County (4.1 percent), the City of Roanoke (3.8 percent), the City of Newport News (3.2 percent), Prince William County (2.8 percent), and the City of Chesapeake (2.4 percent).
An evaluation of other clinical conditions diagnosed among this patient population shows that mental diseases and disorders account for 27 percent of all discharges involving drug use disorders, followed by alcohol or drug use induced mental disorders (21.3 percent) – an indication of the frequency of dual diagnoses when a patient has a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental health condition.
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Julian Walker is the Vice President of Communications of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.
Photo by Stockcake.