Alcohol-Related Hospitalizations From 2016 to 2022

What are national trends in alcohol-related hospitalizations and outcomes?In this cross-sectional study of more than 12.9 million hospitalizations in the 2016 to 2022 National Inpatient Sample, the annual rate of alcohol-related hospitalizations per 100 000 was stable from 721 to 688 but increased for hospitalizations with primary diagnoses of alcohol-related medical complications from 70 to 83. Inpatient mortality rates, length of stay, patient complexity, and costs also increased during this period, contributing to $32.6 billion in health care costs in 2022.These findings suggest that expanded alcohol-related treatment and prevention efforts are needed to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care spending from alcohol-related hospitalizations.

Corresponding Author: Eden Y. Bernstein, MD, MPH, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12401 E 17th Ave, 4th Floor, Aurora, CO 80045 (eden.bernstein@cuanschutz.edu).

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