| Sumario: | The revised “hospital and related services” index, part of the “medical care” major group of the consumer price index (CPI), incorporates several significant improvements in the structural definition and methodology used to gauge hospital price change. The writer outlines the changes that are to be made to the “hospital services” index, the likely benefits of these changes, and the immediate effect of the changes on CPI data users and on field collection activities. She also explains where the changes place the CPI in relation to future industry developments and alternative methods for measuring hospital price movement.
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