Opioid-Related Hospital Visits Are Surging

And emergency room visits have essentially doubled since 2005.

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

A government study released Tuesday examined the opioid-related inpatient stays and emergency room visits from 2005 and 2014 and saw a staggering increase across the United States. Hospitals have been inundated with a 64 percent increase in inpatient visits since 2005 and emergency room visits have essentially doubled, increasing more than 94 percent for both males and females. 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The data, compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, underscores the extent to which the opioid epidemic is sweeping the nation. People on opiates, including heroin and prescription painkillers, end up in the hospital due to a variety of reasons, including overdoses, injuries associated with drug use, and adverse reactions to opioid-antidotes like Narcan. According to the data, patients ages 25-44 had the highest increase in emergency room visits, climbing by more than 109 percent total. While males had a higher rate of inpatient stays in 2005, the female rate quickly caught up, making men and women equally represented in hospital beds around the nation.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate