Healthcare spending growth up 4.3% year-over-year in September

Overall national healthcare spending was 4.3 percent higher in September than in the same month a year ago, according to an analysis from Altarum.

Altarum primarily attributed the rise in healthcare spending growth to slow hospital spending growth. According to the analysis, dental services spending growth increased 6 percent in September compared to the same month last year, while hospital spending growth only rose 1.9 percent year-over-year in September, the lowest since September 2011.

The analysis also found overall healthcare price growth dipped to its lowest rate since December 2015. Altarum said healthcare prices rose at a 1.1 percent annual growth rate in September, the lowest rate since 0.9 percent nearly two years ago.

Altarum said the drop in healthcare price growth was "largely impacted by health policy uncertainty and structural health sector changes."

Source Altarum via Becker's Hospital Review (View full article)

Posted by Dan Corcoran on November 10, 2017 06:56 AM

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