More than 1 in 4 New Jersey hospital patients in 2022 experienced eight or more underlying chronic conditions. It’s a rising trend that shows the great – and growing – complexity of patients’ needs, according to a data analysis by the New Jersey Hospital Association.

The troubling trend affects individuals across race and ethnicity, according to the NJHA data bulletin, Chronic Illness Burden Grows as More N.J. Patients Experience Multiple Underlying Health Conditions. The percentage of patients with eight or more chronic illnesses is climbing at an average rate of 1.4% annually, stressing hospital resources as they tackle increasingly difficult cases.

Chronic conditions are prolonged health issues lasting a year or more that require ongoing medical attention. Diabetes, heart disease and asthma are examples of chronic conditions that can limit an individual’s daily life and aggravate other health conditions.

“The profile of today’s hospital patient is sicker, older and simultaneously battling a growing number of long-term illnesses,” said NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett. “New Jersey is home to nationally recognized hospitals, but our care teams are challenged like never before caring for patients whose needs are incredibly complex.”

To better understand the growing burden of chronic conditions in New Jersey, NJHA’s Center for Health Analytics, Research and Transformation (CHART) examined hospital discharge data using the Chronic Condition Indicator Refined classification software from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The classification system groups diagnosis codes by “not chronic,” “chronic” or “no determination.” NJHA then sorted the classifications into three subgroups: individuals with zero chronic conditions; those with 1-7 chronic conditions; and those with eight or more.

A total of 648,918 hospital inpatients were classified under this system. The largest group representing 47.8% had one to seven chronic conditions, while more than one-third (33.2%) had eight or more. Just 19% of the sample were found to have no chronic conditions. Trend data from 2016 to 2022 showed that the “eight or more” group is growing at a rate of 1.4% annually, while the “seven or less” group is declining 1.2% annually.

Additional analysis showed:

• 38.7% of men in the sample had eight or more chronic conditions, compared with 33.2% of women. The rising trend toward eight-plus chronic conditions was observed in both men and women, but at a higher rate of 1.7% per year for men compared with 1.2% for women.
• Growth in chronic conditions spanned various racial and ethnic groups. Among white non-Hispanics, 40.4% had eight or more chronic conditions, followed by 34.1% for Black non-Hispanics. For Asians, 22.1% had eight-plus chronic conditions, followed by 19.4% of Hispanics. Between 2016 and 2022, growth rates for Asians jumped 81%, followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (37%), non-Hispanic Whites (36%) and Hispanics (11%).
• Individuals aged 65 and older represented the largest share of those with eight-plus chronic conditions, at 57.4%. That group was growing at a rate of 2.2% annually. The next largest group, aged 45-64, had a 38.4% share, growing at an average rate of 1.9%.

“As this trend continues, more and more New Jerseyans will require a place to meet their complex health needs,” said Bennett. “Hospitals embrace their responsibility to the sickest patients, but our state must reckon with the need to support this increasingly difficult role.”