Opioid epidemic: Here's one more way it's costing hospitals millions

The number of patients hospitalized with endocarditis has increased dramatically over the last decade in a pattern that mirrors the increase in mixed drug use and in particular, opioids. And that increase has had a substantial cost on state and federal healthcare programs.

The rise of opioid abuse is a growing health crisis in the United States, particularly in areas hardest hit by the economic downturn, with an average of 115 Americans dying every day from drug overdoses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Endocarditis is one of the most challenging and costly complications of the intravenous drug epidemic, as it's a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection that can destroy heart valves and spread throughout the body.

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