The physician fee index and other economic indicators--recent changes and outlook.

Figures compiled by the Bureau of Research and Planning show that the California Physician Fee Index increased 3.0 percent in the last six months of 1969, compared with 2.5 percent in the first six months. Nationally, physicians' fees increased at a slightly slower rate-2.9 percent during the last half of the year, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was the first time since 1965 that physicians' fees increased faster in California than nationally. In the seven and a half years since the California Physician Fee Index was started, fees have shown an increase of 36.3 percent in the state and 42.9 percent for the whole country. The "all items" component of the Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics increased 6.1 percent in 1969, while the medical care component increased 6.0 percent. This, too marks the end of a trend which had showed more rapid increases in medical care costs than in the cost of all goods and services.