- About two thirds of women ages 18-64 and ≥65 received initial alcohol use disorder diagnoses in hospitals or emergency departments.
- Only 9%-14% received diagnoses from primary care physicians and 2%-5% from behavioural health specialists in community-based practices.
- Alcohol use disorder was the principal diagnosis for ten percent or fewer hospitalisations, suggesting it was often identified during acute treatment for other conditions.
Psychiatr Serv. 2026 Oct 2:appips20260041. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20260041. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed the setting of an initial diagnosis of alcohol use disorder among Medicare-enrolled women.
METHODS: Using 2016-2022 Medicare fee-for-service claims, the authors identified the first alcohol use disorder diagnosis for women ages 18-64 years (N=116,226) and ≥65 years (N=264,857) and examined the diagnosis setting. For diagnoses during a hospitalization, the authors determined how often alcohol use disorder was the principal diagnosis.
RESULTS: About two-thirds of women ages 18-64 and ≥65 years received an initial diagnosis in a hospital or emergency department. Only 9%-14% of diagnoses were by primary care physicians and 2%-5% by behavioral health specialists in community-based practices. Alcohol use disorder was the principal diagnosis for ≤10% of hospitalizations in which a patient’s condition was initially diagnosed, suggesting that it was often identified during acute treatment for other conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the need for enhanced efforts to encourage early identification and management of alcohol use disorder outside acute care settings.
PMID:42823635 | DOI:10.1176/appi.ps.20260041
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