The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) has achieved compliance with the transparency provisions of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 which enables patients to choose the hospital consultant that best meets their needs.
The not-for-profit organisation, which led the implementation, said its website now contains information on the 690 hospitals and 12,600 surgical consultants offering private healthcare services in the UK, in addition to guides on to how to pay for private healthcare.
It added that its website already receives more than 50,000 unique patient visits a month on average, but with more than 80,000 people admitted to a private hospital each month, it can help many more make more informed choices.
Back in April 2024, announced a collaboration with IWantGreatCare/Top Doctors (IWGC/TD) to enable the free submission of data to PHIN through the IWGC patient feedback platform.
At its AGM in December 2023, CEO of PHIN Ian Gargan, said the body would be working with affiliate companies to provide greater support to providers to help them comply with the CMA order requiring health organisations to provide data on performance and patient outcomes.
In March of the previous year, Gargan said he believed insurers were not doing enough to promote its data on healthcare quality from practitioners and hospitals to patients.
The body also urged advisers to direct their clients to its website to help inform their treatment decisions when making a claim.
Gargan (pictured) said: “Patients have always been at the heart of what we do and with record levels of data now being published on our website they are better able than ever to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Thanks to PHIN’s work, there has never been more comprehensive safety, quality and cost information available about the private healthcare sector.
“We are grateful for the support of our colleagues at the CMA, across the private sector and in the NHS private patient units (PPUs) in the delivery of this complex and important Market Investigation Order.
“This is just the beginning of PHIN’s journey. We will continue to work with the hospitals and consultants to uphold the order, as well as building our value to the whole sector and especially to patients in the years to come.”
Geoff Steadman, senior director of markets at the CMA, said: “This is an important milestone which ensures patients have more transparency about the performance and price of using private hospitals and consultants. This makes it easier for patients to choose the right hospital and consultant for their needs – and it’s encouraging to see the PHIN website being used by so many patients to support those decisions.
“We will continue to monitor and enforce compliance with the measures we put in place, to ensure patients can continue to make informed decisions about their healthcare.”
Jayne Scott, PHIN chairwoman, said: “This is a proud moment for PHIN, CMA and the wider private healthcare sector who have all worked so diligently to reach this significant milestone.
“More importantly, it is a significant development for people thinking about or using private healthcare. They now have the richest resource of information ever from an independent, not-for-profit organisation, backed by a government body.”
Professor Henrietta Hughes, patient safety commissioner for England, said: “This milestone represents an important step forward for patient safety. Improved flow of information, especially for those with implantable devices, will help ensure issues can be identified and acted on more quickly, strengthening protection for patients.
“Crucially, more transparent and accessible data also means people have better upfront information about their options, enabling them to make confident, informed decisions when considering private healthcare.”
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), added: “With record numbers of patients now choosing to “go private” for their treatment, it’s never been more important for the public to have access to reliable, up to date information on private healthcare and the choices available to them.
“I would like to pay tribute to PHIN, along with the thousands of consultants and healthcare providers, who have worked so hard to meet this milestone to ensure patients are as informed as possible and can access the best possible healthcare.”