Hospital, employment, and price indicators for the health care industry: First quarter 1999

This feature presents highlights from statistics on health care utilization, prices, expenses, employment, and work hours, as well as on national economic activity, with brief analysis of these economic indicators. These statistics provide an early indication of changes occurring in the health care sector and within the general economy. Although most data are for the first quarter of 1999, American Hospital Association data (Tables 1 and 2) refer to the third quarter of 1998.