Overall U.S. healthcare prices increased slightly from July to August, 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 2.7 percent higher than a year ago.
The PPI translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
In the July-to-August-2010 period, pricing changes trended upward in most healthcare sectors. Hospital prices rose 0.2 percent across the month, as did physician office prices and prices for home healthcare services. The PPI for medical and diagnostic laboratories increased by 0.1 percent, although nursing care facility prices actually fell by 0.1 percent.
While healthcare prices enjoyed small increases from July to August, prices increased across the industry from August 2009 to August 2010.
For instance, overall hospital prices were 3.1 percent higher in August than a year ago, while physician office prices were 2.4 percent higher. Nursing care facility prices increased 1.3 percent from August 2009 to August 2010, and prices for home healthcare services were 1.0 percent higher than a year ago.
The only healthcare industry showing no overall PPI increase from August 2009 to August 2010 was medical and diagnostic laboratories. Prices in this industry remained the same across 12 months.
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.