Growth in hospital prices outpaces that of physicians by nearly 20 percent, Health Affairs shows

Physician prices have seen a growth trend over the past several years, but between 2007 and 2014, hospital prices outpaced them, according to new research published in Health Affairs.  Hospital-based procedures have seen growth driven largely be the facility side of the equation, with prices for inpatient services ballooning by 43 percent over that time. Physician prices, meanwhile, grew by 18 percent. Prices for outpatient services grew 25 percent in the same window. Physician prices on the outpatient end? Just 6 percent. Four hospital-based procedures -- including knee replacement and cesarean section -- saw the hospital portion of the total price eat up between 64 and 84 percent of the total cost, the study found.