The Consumer Price Index for hospitals increased 0.2% last month as prices for inpatient care edged upward. The Consumer Price Index for the year that ended in November shows a 4.7% increase in hospital prices, compared with 4.4% growth the prior year.
The index, released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is one measure of inflation and tracks changes in commercial prices for hospital and physician services.
The Producer Price Index, a broader measure of inflation that includes what Medicare pays hospitals, has been weak so far this year, with growth for the year that ended in November of 1%.
Inpatient hospital prices increased 0.1% in November, CPI data show, while outpatient prices were largely unchanged.
Physician office prices increased 0.5% in November and finished the year that ended last month with growth of 1.5%. That's identical to the year that ended in November 2013.
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