Overall U.S. healthcare prices increased slightly from October to November, rising 0.2 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to the BLS' Producer Price Indices, which measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output, prices across the range of healthcare industries were 1.9 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
In the October-to-November 2010 period, pricing changes were flat or trended incrementally upward in most healthcare sectors. Hospital prices rose 0.3 percent across the month, while physician office prices actually fell by 0.1 percent. Prices for home healthcare services, medical and diagnostic laboratories and nursing care facilities all showed no movement from one month to the next.
The PPI for blood and organ banks experienced the largest increase in November, rising 0.5 percent.
From November 2009 to November 2010, the story was a bit different, as healthcare prices were higher across the board.
For instance, overall hospital prices were 1.8 percent higher in November than a year ago, while physician office prices were 2.4 percent higher. Nursing care facility prices increased 1.7 percent from November 2009 to November 2010, and prices for home healthcare services were 0.9 percent higher than a year ago.
Medical and diagnostic laboratories experienced a 0.6 percent increase from November 2009 to November.
The PPIs for healthcare industry segments measure 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.