Overall, U.S. healthcare prices remained steady from July to August 2013, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The BLS' Producer Price Indices measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. The August PPI report indicated that prices across the range of healthcare industries were equivalent to those in July, although 1.1 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
[See also: Minor uptick in July healthcare prices.]
In the July through August period, the PPI for physician offices, dental offices and medical and diagnostic laboratories was identical to that during the prior month.
The PPI for home healthcare services, blood and organ banks, and residential mental retardation facilities moved slightly up from July to August, increasing 0.1 percent.
The only sectors to see drops in PPI from July through August were hospitals and nursing care facilities. Hospital prices dropped 0.1 percent, while the PPI for nursing care facilities fell 0.2 percent across the month.
Comparing August 2013 to August 2012, overall healthcare PPIs rose 1.1 percent.
Hospital prices were 1.5 percent higher in August than a year ago, while physician office prices were 0.5 percent higher. Nursing care facility prices increased 0.8 percent from August 2012 to August 2013 and the PPI for dentist offices rose 1.8 percent across the 12-month period.
The PPI for medical and diagnostic laboratories dropped 1.6 percent from August 2012 to August 2013, while prices for home healthcare services fell 0.2 percent during the same period. Residential mental retardation facilities continued to see robust price increases in 2013 over 2012, with a PPI increase of 4.7 percent from year to year. Blood and organ banks experienced a PPI increase of 0.3 percent in the same period.
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.