The latest round of healthcare spending numbers shows January spending was more than 5.7 percent higher than January 2014, suggesting the year is getting off to a strong start for the national health industry.
According to statistics released by the Altarum Institute, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of healthcare spending was $3.16 trillion last month compared to a rate of $3.15 trillion in December 2014.
Hospitals made up 32 percent of the nation’s healthcare spending in January.
For full-year 2104, Altarum said national healthcare expenditures grew by 5 percent year over year.
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When it came to growth by sector, the prescription drug field saw the biggest increase with an 11.6 percent change compared to 2013. Meanwhile, hospitals saw 6 percent growth in spending. Physician and clinical services posted the smallest growth at 2.6 percent.
Altarum’s was the second report this week to show strong gains in healthcare spending. On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released figures that showed healthcare revenues were up 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014.
[Also: Census says healthcare spending is in the rise]
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