National spending for hospital care grew just 1.9% over the 12 months that ended in September, the lowest rate since September 2011, according to the latest report from Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending. The report also notes a low rate of hospital employment growth for 2017. “Both of these trends may reflect the continuing shift in the delivery of care from inpatient to outpatient settings and in hospitals’ ongoing efforts to control costs,” the report said. National health spending growth was 4.3% for the second quarter of 2017, driven by the lower growth in hospital spending. In addition, health care price growth approached a historic low, rising at a 1.1% annual growth rate compared to a year earlier, its lowest growth since the all-time low of 0.9% in December 2015. Hospital price growth also remained low at 1.4% in September.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA July 24 announced it is collaborating with health care technology leader Epic to help hospitals adopt tools that support the early detection and…
Headline
The White House July 23 released an action plan with a series of more than 90 policy recommendations to expand the use of artificial intelligence. The plan…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 17 issued two letters to states regarding policies on continuous eligibility and workforce initiatives.…
Headline
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today held a hearing to discuss legislative proposals on health care, including two AHA-supported bills…
Headline
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services July 10 rescinded a policy that extended certain federal public benefits to immigrants lacking permanent legal…
Headline
AHA’s Trustee Services July 8 released a new resource, “Building a Resilient Health Care Workforce,” which discusses how board leadership can shape strategies…