Overall U.S. healthcare prices increased in July 2011, rising 0.4 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 2.0 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
[See also: June healthcare prices add up to rising trend.]
In the June-through-July period, prices received by physician offices rose 0.3 percent, while hospital prices rose 0.4 percent. The PPI for dentist offices remained flat.
The PPIs of some other key healthcare sectors were stable. Prices received by home healthcare services experienced no change from June through July, as did prices in the medical and diagnostic laboratory sector. Residential mental retardation facilities experienced a very slight decrease in PPI, as they saw prices fall by 0.1 percent across the month.
In contrast, the PPI for blood and organ banks increased by 0.6 percent, while the PPI at nursing care facilities rose 0.5 percent.
Comparing July 2010 to July 2011, healthcare PPIs rose 2.0 percent.
For instance, overall hospital prices were 2.0 percent higher in July than a year ago, while physician office prices were 1.3 percent higher. Nursing care facility prices increased 3.5 percent from July 2010 to July 2011 and prices for home healthcare services were 0.2 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI for medical and diagnostic laboratories increased 0.3 percent from July 2010 to July 2011, while residential mental retardation facilities saw prices rise 4.1 percent through the year. Blood and organ banks experienced a moderate PPI increase of 1.0 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.
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