. That would be a significant hit to their bottom lines when you consider this: The average cost to treat overdose patients admitted to hospital intensive care units climbed from $58,517 in 2009 to $92,408 in 2015—a 58 percent hike, according to a 2017 study that analyzed 162 hospitals in 44


The above is the “from modern healthcare”


The question is, since in most cases I have here the insurance may pay for it but at least half the cost is passed on to the hospital.

So what should we do about it? Keep on paying for it?

The raw number of people actually admitted to ICU from opioid overdose has to be absolutely minuscule.

I’ve been a first responder of some variety for 18 years, most of it as a paramedic. I can’t even think of one OD I treated that ended up in ICU.


They were either dead or reverse with narcan. I understand how it could happen, just has to be rare.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I’ve been a first responder of some variety for 18 years, most of it as a paramedic. I can’t even think of one OD I treated that ended up in ICU.

You’re right but they have to use big numbers to create a crisis. War on drugs and stuff like that.

Tleddy, do you have a link to the source of your info?

quote:

Originally posted by PD:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I’ve been a first responder of some variety for 18 years, most of it as a paramedic. I can’t even think of one OD I treated that ended up in ICU.

You’re right but they have to use big numbers to create a crisis. War on drugs and stuff like that.

Yep.

I wonder what the numbers would look like if they were trying to wage a war on sugar...I bet they’d be a bit more convincing. Like whatever the opioid annual ICU cost is...except per hour. But that just makes sense.

quote:

I’ve been a first responder of some variety for 18 years, most of it as a paramedic. I can’t even think of one OD I treated that ended up in ICU.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have seen it but it is not commonplace. Figure up the cost of suboxone,methadone, and residential opoid treatment and then you have some impressive figures. There are a fair number of suicide attempts using Tylenol with codeine which result in ICU due to liver complications. That is a mental health issue.

What I get from the article
1. Hospitals have been depending on Obamacare to cover costs. I follows that they don’t have a lot of incentive to cut costs.
2. People are no longer being forced to buy Obamacare. For hospitals the money flow is going to dry up.
3. The ICU numbers and 58% hike are “Gee Whiz” numbers to shock people.

“So far, statewide hospital executives say the Affordable Care Act has largely insulated them from the cost of treating patients who overdose.”

“But now that Congress has repealed the part of the ACA requiring that individuals have health insurance or pay a fine, hospitals could be in for some sticker shock if their patients drop coverage, then wind up in the ER needing to be resuscitated from an overdose.”

The “hospital intensive care units climbed from $58,517 in 2009 to $92,408 in 2015—a 58 percent hike,“

Simple solution. Stop issuing narcan. The problem solves itself.