Insured activity is above 2019 level
By a staff reporter
Insured activity in private hospitals up to the end of September 2022 was 6.7% higher than the same period in 2021 and 12% up on 2019.
Figures unveiled at LaingBuisson’s Private Acute Healthcare Conference from Healthcode, the official clearing organisation for the private healthcare sector, reveal inpatient and outpatient numbers are at or above pre-pandemic levels.
Private hospitals have bounced back following the severe downturn caused by the pandemic and lockdown in 2020, it reported.
It stated: ‘This recovery could already be seen in 2021 when 3.17m invoices were processed by Healthcode’s Clearing Service; up 40% on 2020, but momentum has continued into 2022 when more insured patients than ever received the specialist care they needed.’
Managing director Peter Connor later paid tribute to the ‘heroes of this story’: the consultants, healthcare professionals and managers in hospitals across the UK who had worked tirelessly to turn things around for patients. He said: ‘In the specialty of radiology, for example, year-on-year billing volumes increased by more than half in September 2022, meaning more patients could learn their diagnosis or receive essential therapeutic treatment.
‘I have no doubt that demand for safe, high-quality private healthcare will continue to increase in the years ahead and Healthcode will do our utmost to support that through the development of online services such as The PPR (Private Practice Register), pre-authorisation and real-time appointment booking.’
