Market and customers
client groups 2010
In Sweden today, over 30,000 hip and knee replacement operations are performed each year. In January 2009, a free choice healthcare scheme was introduced for hip and knee replacement operations in Stockholm, which has had a very positive effect for Ortho Center Stockholm. Other county councils are expected to follow suit and introduce a free choice health care scheme for highly specialised health care.
In Sweden today, over 30,000 hip- and knee operations are performed each year and operations is increasing by around 10% each year. The operations are relatively common and are performed at most hospitals. The public sector have a hard time keeping waiting times down without making use of private healthcare providers. In January 2009, a free choice healthcare scheme was introduced for hip and knee replacement operations in Stockholm. Patients are allowed
to choose themselves among the clinics authorised by the County Council, both in the public and the private sector. The County Council pays the same allowance to all healthcare providers. Ortho Center Stockholm is one of eleven active authorised clinics and has coped very well with the development. Today, the clinic has a market share in Stockholm of just above 20% for these operations.
Several county councils have introduced a complication guarantee for prosthesis operations, which means that the healthcare provider is responsible, also financially, for complications arising 12–24 months after the operation. Global Health Partner welcomes this development as it means that high quality with fewer complications are beneficial in financial terms, too. The sports orthopaedics business is mainly concerned with joints and sports-related injuries. There is a large private market here, particularly via insurance companies. Today, around 450,000 Swedes have private healthcare insurance and the market is growing strongly. The number of patients paying for their operations entirely privately is also rising.