Publication: Herald Sun

Journalist: Sarah Booth

Full article: Aussie health insurer reveals gut screening as most claimed surgery | Herald Sun (PAYWALL)


“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”.