Data from: Large regional differences in incidence of arthroscopic meniscal procedures in the public and private sector in Denmark

Objectives A recent study reported a large increase in the number of meniscal procedures from 2000 to 2011 in Denmark.. We examined the nation-wide distribution of meniscal procedures performed in the private and public sector in Denmark since different incentives may be present and the use of these procedures may differ from region to region. Setting We included data on all patients who underwent an arthroscopic meniscal procedures performed in the public or private sector in Denmark. Participants Data was retrieved from the Danish National Patient Register on patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscus surgery as a primary or secondary procedure in the years 2000 to 2011. Hospital identification codes enabled linkage of performed procedures to specific hospitals. Primary and secondary outcome measures Yearly incidence of meniscal procedures per 100 000 inhabitants were calculated with 95 % confidence intervals for public and private procedures for each region. Results Incidence of meniscal procedures increased at both private and public hospitals. The private sector accounted for the largest relative and absolute increase increasing from an incidence of 1 in 2000 to 98 in 2011. In 2011 the incidence of meniscal procedures was 3 times higher in the Capital Region than in Region Zealand. Conclusions Our study identified a large increase in the use of meniscal procedures in the public and private sector in Denmark. The increase was particularly conspicuous in the private sector as their proportion of procedures performed increased from 1% to 32%. Substantial regional differences were present in the incidence and trend over time of meniscal procedures.