AHRQ statistical brief notes increase in hospital inpatients stays related to OUD and endocarditis

A statistical brief recently published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) examined hospital inpatient stays related to opioid use disorder (OUD) and endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valves from bacteria or fungi that can enter the body through a variety of mechanisms, including intravenous drug use. Using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), researchers found that the number of OUD-endocarditis inpatient stays more than doubled between 2005 and 2014 and a larger percentage of these stays were for low-income patients aged 18-34 years old. In addition, Medicaid was the expected payer for more than half of OUD-endocarditis inpatient stays compared with the expected payer for either condition alone.