Hospital cost inflation: the case of Australia.
The growth in Australian hospital expenditures has been similar to that in the United States. This growth is examined for the period 1970-1979 in terms of its principal components: inflation, real cost increases, and service utilization. It is suggested that hospital cost inflation is not an appropriate term for describing the growth of Australian hospital expenditures; rather, the growth of hospital expenditure in the context of the gross domestic product is discussed. The results suggest a ranking for priorities in public health service policy.
D001315:Australia; D004469:Economics, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends; D007250:Inflation, Economic