The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) has today (09 June) officially launched benchmarking services for its hospital and consultant members using information from its unique UK-wide health dataset. The services allow users to reflect on performance compared to their peers and provides greater transparency around activities. This demonstrates the power of the information PHIN collects, not only to inform patient choices but to support the sector in improving patient care.

This initial stage of benchmarking allows hospitals to see how their data compares to a national view and their position among their peers. Hospitals can view themselves compared to peers for ‘Volume’, ‘Length of Stay’, ‘Adverse Events’, and ‘Patient Reported Outcomes’.

Screenshot from hospital benchmarking report (not a real hospital's data)
Screenshot from hospital benchmarking report (not a real hospital's data)

PHIN’s consultant benchmarking allows users to compare their private admitted activity with both the average and other groups of consultants. They can choose peers based on their level of activity or by the region in which they work and apply further filters as needed (such as procedures or specialties).

Extract from consultant benchmarking report (not a real consultant's data)
Extract from consultant benchmarking report (not a real consultant's data)

Dr Ian Gargan, PHIN Chief Executive, said:

“We have introduced these exciting new reports for hospitals and consultants to help further improve the transparency of quality and safety of care across the independent sector. This signals an important shift, from building the data infrastructure to demonstrating PHIN’s real-world impact.

“The benchmarking reports reflect the unique contribution each hospital and consultant makes to healthcare in the UK. The data we publish will benefit both the hospitals and consultants, but most importantly patients who will be able to take advantage of the competition and improvements in care that result from improved transparency.

“The reports have been very well received in user testing and we’re proud to deliver this excellent facility which we have developed in response to feedback from hospitals and consultants.

“Benchmarking is just one of the many ways we bring value to the healthcare sector, and there’s plenty more to come.”

All the information in the benchmarking reports is secure and only available within the PHIN portal to authorised users.

PHIN collects information on safety, quality and costs from the UK’s 690 hospitals and 12,600 surgical consultants providing private healthcare.