Americans stepped up their use of medical services at the end of 2010, but are likely to hold back on healthcare spending again in the coming months.

While many Americans postponed nonessential procedures and skimped on medications in the last two years as unemployment remained high and insurance premiums rose, some of that resolve softened in the fourth quarter.

But the increased spending was largely seasonal. People are more likely to cram in doctor visits toward the end of the year once they meet their annual insurance deductibles, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars each year and are reset on January 1.

Pent-up demand, as well as a faint improvement in consumer sentiment about the U.S. economy, also may have accelerated use of some medical services in the last quarter. That represents a hopeful sign for some healthcare companies, but analysts do not see a rebound until later in the year.

“Right now we’re seeing hospital visits down and prescriptions down so there’s no reason to believe things will improve from here in the near-term,” said FAF Advisors analyst Tim Nelson. “This is a second-half phenomenon, not a first-half.”

JPMorgan analyst Mike Weinstein said managed care revenue had been flat recently, and hospital admissions were down as much as 3 percent, although the number of surgical procedures was up.

“It would be premature to say this (fourth-quarter recovery) is sustainable,” he said at JPMorgan’s annual healthcare conference in San Francisco this week. “People are assuming the first quarter will be worse than the fourth quarter.”

A SLOW RECOVERY

Fourth-quarter sales and profits were better than expected for a long list of healthcare companies, some of which also raised their forecasts for 2011.

Among those that expect to report stronger-than-expected results are cardiovascular device makers St. Jude Medical Inc and HeartWare International Inc; smaller specialty drug developers like Amgen Inc, Allos Therapeutics Inc., Auxilium Pharmaceuticals and Emergent BioSolutions; medical supplies and orthopedic implant maker Stryker Corp; and eyecare product manufacturer Staar Surgical.

Gary Ellis, chief financial officer of top medical device maker Medtronic Inc, told Reuters this week that he sees signs Americans have been returning to the doctor.

Other executives at the JPMorgan conference predicted a modest increase in healthcare consumption this year, but many predicted a rebound would be slow and fragile.

Aetna Inc Chief Financial Officer Joseph Zubretsky is planning for a slightly higher trend in 2011 from 2010.