Alcohol Intoxication in the Academic Emergency Department: Epidemiology and Facility-Fee Financial Impact

Alcohol intoxication is a common patient presentation to urban emergency departments (ED). There is limited data on the healthcare financial impact of caring for alcohol-intoxicated patients in the ED. In this study we examined the facility-based financial billings and collections related to ED visits for alcohol intoxication.

Using a retrospective cohort analysis of two large, urban EDs, with a combined yearly census of approximately 150,000 patient visits, we included all encounters between June 2018-December 2021 with a discharge diagnosis consistent with acute alcohol intoxication. We reviewed records of patient encounters with a final diagnosis consistent with acute alcohol intoxication who only had minimal or no interventions performed, implying the visit was solely consistent with acute alcohol intoxication. We reviewed the facility charges of these patients, along with insurance status and average payment by status to understand the financial impact.

Of 495,436 patient presentations to the EDs during the study period, 13,454 met study criteria (2.7% of total patients). Patient length of stay in the ED had an average of 254 minutes and median of 240 minutes. In total, this cohort of patients occupied ED beds for 56,505 hours cumulatively, or an average of 43.2 bed hours per day for alcohol intoxication-related visits, representing 3.14% of all ED bed hours across both sites. The majority of patient encounters were billed as a level 3 facility code (76%). Facility charges for the cohort totaled $22,590,000. The estimated reimbursement based on the percentage reimbursed by payor mix was $1.7 million (7.5%), or an average of $126 per patient visit-less than one quarter of the general average visit collection.

Patients with acute alcohol intoxication and no other complaints are a minority of ED patients, yet their care results in substantial charges and ED resources. Based on the known facility collection rates per insurer, the weighted prevalence of insurers among this cohort yields an estimated collection rate of 7.5%. Opportunities to provide proven alcohol-related interventions should consider the unreimbursed costs of these visits when determining cost effectiveness.