Hospital prices fall 0.2% in September
Overall hospital prices declined 0.2% in September and were only 0.7% higher than a year ago (which represents a historical low since 1998), according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices for the subgroup of general medical and surgical hospitals declined 0.2% in September, and were 0.5% higher than in September 2014, according to the BLS Producer Price Indices, which measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. For hospitals, this translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services. The PPI for hospitals measures changes in actual or expected reimbursement received for services across the full range of payer types. This includes the negotiated contract rate from the payer plus any portion expected to be paid by the patient.