A Health Affairs study found that hospital prices for inpatient care grew 42 percent from 2007 to 2014, compared with 18 percent growth in physician prices for that same period. (Photo: Shutterstock)

A new study finds that hospital costs play an oversized role in overall health care cost increases—with hospital prices outpacing physician prices by almost 20 percent. The new research is adding to the debate about the role of mergers and acquisitions in hospital costs overall.

The study, by Health Affairs, found that hospital prices for inpatient care grew 42 percent from 2007 to 2014, compared with 18 percent growth in physician prices for that same period. In outpatient settings, hospital care grew 25 percent, compared to 6 percent for physician prices.

“A majority of the growth in payments for inpatient and hospital-based outpatient care was driven by growth in hospital prices, not physician prices,” the study's authors write. “Our work suggests that efforts to reduce health care spending should be primarily focused on addressing growth in hospital rather than physician prices.”