The acute-hospital industry's producer price index dropped 0.6 percent in April, the largest one-month decline since 2004, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The PPI of an industry measures the average change over time in the selling price from the seller's perspective, rather than the consumer's, and includes subsidies, taxes and distribution costs, according to the BLS.
The PPI for general medical and surgical hospitals dropped from 185.3 in March to 184.2 last month. The index has grown steadily since December 2010 when it was 174.8, except for two months in which it dropped by 0.1 and one month where it remained stable.
The index has grown 1.7 percent since April 2012, when it was 181.1. Last year, the index grew 2.6 percent by the end of the year compared with 2011's annual index.
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The PPI of an industry measures the average change over time in the selling price from the seller's perspective, rather than the consumer's, and includes subsidies, taxes and distribution costs, according to the BLS.
The PPI for general medical and surgical hospitals dropped from 185.3 in March to 184.2 last month. The index has grown steadily since December 2010 when it was 174.8, except for two months in which it dropped by 0.1 and one month where it remained stable.
The index has grown 1.7 percent since April 2012, when it was 181.1. Last year, the index grew 2.6 percent by the end of the year compared with 2011's annual index.
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