Overall hospital prices increased 0.1 percent in July and were 2.5 percent higher than a year ago, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Prices for general medical and surgical hospitals increased 0.1 percent and were 2.5 percent higher than in July 2008, according to the BLS' Producer Price Indices, which measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output.
For hospitals, this translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services.
The Producer Price Indices for hospitals 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.