Overall U.S. healthcare prices increased marginally from December 2010 to January 2011, rising 0.1 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 1.6 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
[Compare the current healthcare PPI data to the 2010 year-end report; and one healthcare contracting supply company is moving to monthly reports to help control supply costs]
In the December-to-January period, prices were relatively stable, falling slightly in most sectors and increasing incrementally in others. Hospital prices rose 0.2 percent across the month, while physician office prices fell 0.6 percent. Prices for medical and diagnostic laboratories also trended down, falling 0.3 percent.
Prices for home healthcare services fell 0.1 percent, while the PPI for blood and organ banks dropped by 0.5 percent in January.
The only sectors beside hospitals seeing a PPI increase were nursing care facilities and dentist offices, where prices rose 1.1 percent, and residential mental retardation facilities, where the PPI rose at an industry-leading 2 percent.
Comparing January 2010 to January 2011, healthcare PPIs moved slightly upward.
For instance, overall hospital prices were 1.8 percent higher in January than a year ago, while physician office prices were 0.9 percent higher. Nursing care facility prices increased 1.9 percent from January 2010 to January 2011, and prices for home healthcare services were 0.5 percent higher than a year ago.
Medical and diagnostic laboratories were flat from January 2010 to January 2011, while residential mental retardation facilities saw prices jump 5.2 percent through the year. Blood and organ banks experienced the only 12-month decrease in prices, falling 0.2 percent.
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.