Wholesale prices for hospitals rose for the fourth consecutive month, increasing 0.1 percent in July, according to preliminary data released yesterday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Prices had increased 0.2 percent in June. In July 2008, the wholesale hospital price index rose 0.3 percent. For the 12-month period ending in July, the hospital Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 2.5 percent as compared with 3.4 percent for the year-ago period.
The hospital PPI measures changes in actual or expected payment received for services across payer types, including the patient’s portion of the bill.
Wholesale physician office prices increased 0.6 percent last month compared with a 0.2 percent increase in June, the BLS reported. The physician PPI was flat in July 2008. For the 12 months that ended in July, the wholesale physician price index rose 2.5 percent as compared with 0.8 percent during the prior year.
