Gastrointestinal endoscopies and biopsies were the most common procedures conducted on insured patients in UK private hospitals in 2014, Healthcode has revealed.
There were over 70,800 diagnostic colonoscopies and gastroscopies conducted. Both tests are used to check for signs of gastrointestinal cancer,
These procedures formed 8% of the total procedures carried out in UK private hospitals.
Increasingly both procedures are conducted at the same time, reducing the need for repeat visits, with the use of that billing code nearly doubling in 2014.
Healthcode is clearing company for private healthcare, in 2014 over 827,000 procedures were conducted on admitted patients.
Musculoskeletal procedures were also among the most common procedures conducted.
The five most common procedures were:
- Diagnostic colonoscopy 4%
- Diagnostic oesophago-gastro-dudenoscopy 3.6%
- Injections into joints, cyst, bursa or soft tissue 3.6%
- Diagnostic endoscopic examination of the bladder 2.5%
- Arthroscopic operation on the knee 2.5%
Peter Connor, managing director of Healthcode, said: "As you might expect, this analysis of procedures reflects a traditional strength of the private health sector: treating patients with painful joints and other musculoskeletal problems.
"However, it also highlights the thousands of investigative procedures carried out in private hospitals each year which put patients' minds at rest or help ensure they receive the early diagnosis and treatment that can make such a difference.
"Healthcode has long championed the use of accurate coding procedures because they enable hospitals and insurers to analyse demand and allocate resources appropriately.
"But in this instance, it allows us to demonstrate the important contribution made by the private sector to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases in the UK."
