New Statistical Briefs Show Impacts of Influenza

Rates of influenza-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits in 2015-16 were highest for patients living in low-income areas, particularly among children under 5, according to a new report from AHRQ. The analysis shows the cost of flu-related inpatient stays was approximately $3,000 more for patients from higher-income communities. The report from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) also shows that in-hospital mortality rates for flu-related stays was as high as 8.7 percent among patients with cancer and 6.4 percent among patients with heart or cerebrovascular disease, both rates being significantly higher than for people with these conditions but without a flu diagnosis. An additional analysis from AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) shows that an average of approximately 8.8 million people in the U.S. noninstitutionalized population were treated for flu each year in 2016 and 2017. On average, approximately $5.2 billion was spent per year on treatment associated with flu. Access the HCUP brief, the MEPS brief and an infographic.