Today the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) has published its Annual Report for the financial year 2018-19, outlining progress PHIN and the wider sector have made towards greater transparency and supporting patients’ considering their private healthcare options.

The report provides an update on PHIN’s key achievements in the last year, including the publication of consultants’ fees, infections information, and health improvement for patients undergoing hip and knee surgery.

PHIN’s Annual Report also outlines some trends across private healthcare annual statistics on activity across private healthcare in the UK in 2018.

• There has been a 2% increase in self-pay patients compared to insured patients each year since 2016. In 2018 self-pay made up 27% of the market.
• Trauma and orthopaedics remains the largest specialty, although there has been a 2.5% reduction in activity from 2017 to 2018.
• 98.8% of privately-funded patients reported improvements in their health following hip replacement surgery (primary) and 95.3% for knee replacement surgery (primary).

The report looks ahead to PHIN’s priorities next year. A key priority for PHIN over the coming year is to revisit how we engage and support our members as we work together to deliver information which supports patient choice.