According to 2020 data from Project use and health care costs (HCUP), administered by the U.S. Agency for Health Research and Quality, approximately six out of every 1,000 infants hospitalized are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). That’s about one baby diagnosed with NAS every 24 minutes in the United States, or more than 59 babies diagnosed each day.
The number of babies born with NAS increased by 82% nationally between 2010 and 2017. The increase was recorded in most states and demographic groups. [Read article]
Cost of NAS
Caring for an infant diagnosed with NAS can be costly to the health care system. [Read article]
Based on HCUP data 2020,
- After adjusting for inflation, the cost of hospitalization for an infant with NAS is $7,800 in 2020, compared with $1,100 for other infant hospital stays—nearly seven times more.
- The median hospital stay for infants with NAS was 9 days in 2020, compared with 2 days for other infants hospitalized—a hospital stay increased by nearly 5 times.
Neonatal abstinence syndrome by state
Based on HCUP data 2020, the prevalence of NAS ranges from as low as one infant diagnosed with NAS per 1,000 hospitalized infants (Hawaii) to as high as 43 infants diagnosed with NAS per 1,000 infants. hospitalized (West Virginia). To learn more, use this interactive map of NAS to search by status.
