Trends in inpatient discharges with drug or alcohol admission diagnoses to a skilled nursing facility among older adults, New York City 2008–2014

BACKGROUND: Recent research shows an increase in drug and alcohol-related hospitalizations in the USA, especially among older adults. However, no study examines trends in discharges to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) after a drug or alcohol-related hospitalization. Older adults are more likely to need post-hospital care in a SNF after a hospitalization due to an increased presence of chronic diseases and functional limitations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate trends in drug or alcohol-related hospitalizations with discharge to a SNF among adults age 55 and older. METHODS: We analyzed data from New York State’s Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System to calculate the number of cannabis, cocaine, opioid, and alcohol-related hospitalizations in New York City that resulted in discharge to a SNF from 2008 to 2014 among adults age 55 and older. Using New York City population estimates modified from US Census Bureau, we calculated age-specific rates per 100,000 adults. Trend tests were estimated using joinpoint regressions to calculate annual percentage change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and stratified by adults age 55–64 and adults age 65 and older. RESULTS: During the study period, among adults age 55–64, there were significant increases in cocaine, cannabis, and opioid-related hospitalizations that resulted in discharge to a SNF. For adults ≥ 65 years, there were sharp increases across all substances with larger increases in opioids (APC of 10.66%) compared to adults 55–64 (APC of 6.49%). For both age groups and among the four substances, alcohol-related hospitalizations were the leading cause of discharge to a SNF. CONCLUSIONS: We found an increase in hospital discharges to SNFs for patients age 55 and older admitted with alcohol or drug-related diagnoses. Post-acute and long-term care settings should prepare to care for an increase in older patients with substance use disorders by integrating a range of harm reduction interventions into their care settings.