Ill-defined conditions — check-ups, follow-up appointments, preventive care and treatment of minor conditions such as colds, flus and allergies — grew faster than any other major category from 2000 to 2012, at an average annual rate of nearly 10 percent per person. Per-person spending on circulatory conditions grew at just 4 percent in this time period, according to the report.
Treatments for musculoskeletal disorders (including back problems and arthritis) and circulatory diseases were the second and third largest contributors to total health services spending growth, after ill-defined conditions. The three combined disease categories account for 36 percent of growth in disease-based spending from 2000 to 2012.
For the period ranging from 2000 to 2012, the BEA estimates 65 percent of per capita spending growth is due to increases in cost per case, with 35 percent attributed to non-price factors.
More articles on finance:
ICD-10 still offers myriad challenges: More turn to outsourced services to generate bills, revenue
Mount Sinai considers downsizing Beth Israel
St. Luke’s University Health Network posts bundled prices online
