Medibank data reveals top claimed surgeries, hospital treatments of 2024

A major health insurer has unveiled the top surgeries Aussies claimed for last year, revealing a procedure used to screen for Coeliac and Crohn’s disease topped the list. See the data.

Colonoscopies and gastroscopies were the most claimed hospital treatment by Medibank customers in 2024. Picture: Supplied

Large numbers of Australians are turning to surgery to screen for gastrointestinal diseases, as a major health insurer reveals such procedures were their number one claim.

Medibank data shows they covered more admissions for colonoscopies and gastroscopies than any other hospital treatment in 2024.

Between January and late December, the most common reason for a Medibank-claimed hospital stay was so doctors could use an internal camera to investigate a patient’s bowel, stomach, food pipe or small intestine.

Medibank chief customer officer Milosh Milisavljevic said these were “really important procedures that can identify and diagnose a number of conditions such as Coeliac and Crohn’s disease”.

“It’s great to see so many people continuing to get health screening done with procedures such as colonoscopies and gastroscopies, which are really important for early detection for a number of diseases and cancers.

“Bowel cancer screening is highly important especially after the age of 45, and colonoscopies offer the best chance of early detection.”

Colonoscopies and gastroscopies are used to screen for Coeliac and Crohn’s disease, as well as bowel cancer. Picture: Supplied

The hospital claims data shows the second most common admission was for orthopaedics, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy at number three, renal dialysis at four and ophthalmology in fifth.

Hospital admissions for psychiatry, gynaecology, urology, haematology and plastics and reconstructive surgery rounded out the top ten admissions.

The data also revealed 2024’s most expensive paid claims, led by a staggering $2.5m payment to cover lifesaving medication for a newborn with a rare genetic condition.

Medibank’s most expensive paid claim was a $2.5m bill to cover lifesaving medication for a newborn. Picture: Paul Jeffers

More than $590,000 covered a five-month hospital stay — including four in intensive care — for tracheostomy, which allows a breathing tube to connect to a patient’s airway through an opening in their neck.

The third biggest claim was more than $450,000 to cover a four-plus month neonatal stay.

Mr Milisavljevic said they were able to support their customers during a very stressful time to get the care they need.

He said he believed the popularity of orthopaedics was likely due to lengthy waitlists in the public system, which drove many of their customers to instead pay for private health insurance.

Originally published as Medibank data reveals top claimed surgeries, hospital treatments of 2024