Health Sector Trend Report, April 2017

In this April 2017 report, spending estimates are available through February 2017, while prices and labor are available through March 2017.

Following are highlights from this month's report:

• Estimates for the first two months of 2017 put health spending growth at 5.4%, slightly higher than the 5.2% seen in 2016; however, the 2017 data are preliminary and will be revised next month with the release of the Advance QSS data for Q1 2017.
• Health care prices grew by 2.0% in Q1, compared to 1.7% growth in 2016.
• The average monthly increase in health care services jobs slowed from 32,000 in 2016 to 20,000 in Q1 2017.

Download the full report to view additional detail and analysis.

About Altarum's Health Sector Trend Reports

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Altarum provides analysis of key trends in health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment. These reports make direct use of the Quarterly Services Survey (QSS), the timeliest source of detailed, survey-based spending information for health care services, which account for more than 70% of national health spending.

These trend reports are related to, but distinct from, Altarum's Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs, and were published monthly prior to Q1 2018.

In this April 2017 report, spending estimates are available through February 2017, while prices and labor are available through March 2017.

Following are highlights from this month's report:

• Estimates for the first two months of 2017 put health spending growth at 5.4%, slightly higher than the 5.2% seen in 2016; however, the 2017 data are preliminary and will be revised next month with the release of the Advance QSS data for Q1 2017.
• Health care prices grew by 2.0% in Q1, compared to 1.7% growth in 2016.
• The average monthly increase in health care services jobs slowed from 32,000 in 2016 to 20,000 in Q1 2017.

Download the full report to view additional detail and analysis.

About Altarum's Health Sector Trend Reports

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Altarum provides analysis of key trends in health care spending, prices, utilization, and employment. These reports make direct use of the Quarterly Services Survey (QSS), the timeliest source of detailed, survey-based spending information for health care services, which account for more than 70% of national health spending.

These trend reports are related to, but distinct from, Altarum's Health Sector Economic Indicators briefs, and were published monthly prior to Q1 2018.