Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN): filling data gaps in independent sector

As Anderson and colleagues highlight,1 the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) is mandated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Private Healthcare Investigation Order 20142 to publish performance and fee information about 645 hospitals and 12 000 consultants offering private inpatient services in the UK. We supply information to help patients make informed decisions.We agree that access to outpatient data would “allow more comprehensive monitoring of patient pathways,” including waiting times, to better inform patient choice. In 2023 PHIN undertook a consultation to define outpatient care (as opposed to admitted care) to create a comprehensive inpatient dataset. An outpatient dataset falls outside the scope of the 2014 order, but PHIN supports working with the sector to secure this.Anderson and colleagues state that “CMA only mandates reporting of hospital consultant fees, rather than the total cost of procedures.” Again, PHIN cannot mandate further information gathering unless the order is amended. PHIN…
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