Hospitals are spending more on medicines

OUTPATIENT AND INPATIENT PRESCRIPTION DRUG SPENDING PER ADMISSION AT U.S. COMMUNITY HOSPITALS, FISCAL YEARS 2015 TO 2017. (2018 AHA-FAH-ASHP DRUG SURVEY)

A new report commissioned by the nation’s biggest hospital groups found that hospital drug spending jumped by nearly 19 percent between fiscal years 2015 and 2017. The average amount U.S. community hospitals spent on prescription drugs for each admitted patient in 2017: $555.40. High list prices and ongoing drug shortages played a big role in the spending increase, according to the analysis. Many of the drugs that saw the largest percentage price increases are longtime hospital staples — like the painkiller hydromorphone, which increased in price by 107 percent between 2015 and 2017. The report is new fuel in the long-running fight between hospitals and drug makers about who's to blame for the high cost of health care.