Catchment Area Analysis
Mapping the geography your hospital will draw patients from - and why.
Catchment area analysis defines the geography from which a hospital can realistically attract patients: the primary, secondary and outer zones, the population within them, how distance and travel time shape utilisation, and where competing facilities pull demand away. It answers the spatial question that underpins demand, volumes and market share.
What this service covers
- Catchment zone definition: primary, secondary and outer
- Population within each zone by segment
- Travel time and access mapping
- Distance decay and utilisation curves
- Competing facility pull and leakage points
- Zonal demand potential by service
- Geography of existing referral sources
- Future catchments: planned roads, towns and growth areas
- Confidence ranges on draw estimates
- Inputs to demand assessment and market analysis
Our process
- Define candidate catchment boundaries
- Map population, access and competition within them
- Model distance decay and zonal utilisation
- Estimate draw per zone by service
- Stress-test against travel and competition shifts
- Document the catchment model
Frequently asked questions
How is catchment area analysis different from population analysis?
Population analysis profiles the resident population and its health needs. Catchment analysis is about geography and draw - which zones the hospital serves and how far patients will travel.
How is it different from patient demographic analysis?
Patient demographic analysis segments who the patients are. Catchment analysis establishes where they come from.
How are catchment boundaries set?
By travel time, access, competition and observed draw patterns - not by administrative borders alone.
Why does distance matter to volumes?
Because utilisation falls with travel time; the depth and shape of that curve decides how much of each zone's demand is realistic.
What does the customer receive?
A catchment model with zones, populations, draw estimates per service and the mapping that supports them.