Healthcare Insights
Top hospitals by IBS diagnoses volume
Irritable bowel syndrome affects up to 45 million people in the U.S. Despite how common this condition is, patients experiencing IBS symptoms have reported that it took over six years since the onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder affecting the large intestine with varying symptoms and severity levels. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, changes in bowel movement appearance, and changes in bowel movement frequency.
It is estimated that about 10 to 15% of adults in the U.S. deal with IBS. Using the Definitive Healthcare Atlas All-Payor Claims dataset, we examined where most of these patients receive an IBS diagnosis.
Below, we have ranked the top 10 hospitals in the U.S. by IBS diagnoses. The data represents the percentage of total IBS diagnoses that were diagnosed as the primary reason patients sought treatment year-to-date in 2023.
| Rank | Definitive ID | Hospital | City | State | Percent of primary IBS diagnoses | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3120 | Cleveland Clinic Main Campus | Cleveland | OH | 7.90% | Explore |
| 2 | 2096 | University Hospital | Ann Arbor | MI | 4.80% | Explore |
| 3 | 588 | Stanford Hospital - 300 Pasteur Dr | Stanford | CA | 2.60% | Explore |
| 4 | 2837 | The Mount Sinai Hospital (AKA Mount Sinai Medical Center) | New York | NY | 1.10% | Explore |
| 5 | 2034 | University of Michigan Health - West (FKA Metro Health Hospital) | Wyoming | MI | 1.10% | Explore |
| 6 | 776 | Cleveland Clinic Florida (AKA Weston Hospital) | Weston | FL | 1.00% | Explore |
| 7 | 1979 | Boston Childrens Hospital | Boston | MA | 1.00% | Explore |
| 8 | 574783 | Northern Light Mercy Hospital - Fore River Campus (FKA Mercy Hospital Fore River Campus) | Portland | ME | 1.00% | Explore |
| 9 | 1047339 | UTMB - Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital | Galveston | TX | 0.80% | Explore |
| 10 | 4127 | CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital - Tyler | Tyler | TX | 0.80% | Explore |
Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare Atlas All-Payor Claims dataset and is updated monthly. Data accessed October 2023.
Which hospitals treat the most IBS patients?
The top hospital for IBS diagnosis is Cleveland Clinic Main Campus with 7.9% of all primary diagnoses. University Hospital in Michigan comes in second with 4.8% of all IBS primary diagnoses. These two hospitals also rank first and second in the lists of top U.S. hospitals for digestive disorders by patient volume and top U.S. hospitals by gastroenterology procedure volume.
The third top hospital for IBS diagnoses is Stanford Hospital - 300 Pasteur Dr with 2.6% of the primary diagnoses. This hospital also ranks in fifth place as a top hospital by gastroenterology procedure volume.
Which hospital specialist may treat a patient with IBS?
For IBS symptoms, patients typically receive care from a gastroenterologist. About 20 to 40% of all gastroenterology visits are concerned with IBS symptoms.
While the cause of irritable bowel syndrome is still unknown, factors that are often linked to IBS symptoms include intestinal muscle contractions, nervous system irregularities, severe infection, stress, and changes in the gut environment.
To treat IBS symptoms, a gastroenterologist might suggest or prescribe:
- Diet changes
- Lifestyle changes
- Medication to treat diarrhea (e.g., loperamide, rifaximin)
- Medication to treat constipation (e.g., fiber supplements, laxatives)
- Medications to treat abdominal pain (e.g., antispasmodics, peppermint oil capsules)
How can you use IBS diagnosis insights?
Being able to identify which facilities provide the greatest percentage of IBS diagnoses can help optimize your go-to-market strategy by helping to target the right patient populations.
For example, if you have a new drug or remedy to alleviate IBS symptoms, knowing that Cleveland Clinic Main Campus is a top gastroenterology hospital diagnosing IBS can help to find providers that are more likely to prescribe or recommend your product to patients best suited for it.
Additionally, diagnosis insights can help you identify facilities with gaps in staffing or specialty. Being able to identify hospitals with lower volumes of IBS diagnoses may indicate that facilities lack gastroenterology specialists or expertise.
Learn more
Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
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