The producer price index for acute-care hospitals has increased 1.5 percent between August 2012 and August 2013, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, prices have gone down by 0.1 percent compared with the July PPI.
The PPI for hospitals measures "changes in actual or expected reimbursement received for services across the full range of payer types," according to the American Hospital Association. "This includes the negotiated contract rate from the payer plus any portion expected to be paid by the patient."
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