Need Outpatient Surgery?

VHI Guide Helps Consumers Learn about Outpatient Procedures and Those Performing Them

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Sep 10, 2014, 06:45 ET

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When faced with a need for an outpatient procedure, Virginia Health Information's (VHI) Consumer Guide to Outpatient Procedures helps Virginians learn more about commonly performed outpatient procedures and where they are performed. Located at www.vhi.org/outpatient, the free online guide describes why a procedure may be needed, questions to ask your doctor and information to help you compare and select where the procedure will be performed.

VHI gathers outpatient procedure information for its Guide from ambulatory surgical centers, doctors' offices and hospital outpatient departments. In 2013, over 300,000 outpatient surgeries were reported for the Virginia procedure groups, up 1.4 percent from 2012. VHI's report shows another year where outpatient procedures account for a growing number of surgeries in Virginia.

VHI's Consumer Guide to Outpatient Procedures includes ten commonly performed diagnostic and surgical procedure groups. Procedures were chosen based on their actual or perceived risk, frequency, and cost:

· Breast Surgery

· Colonoscopy

· Facial Surgery

· Gall Bladder Removal

· General Laparoscopic Procedures

· Hernia Repair

· Hysterectomy

· Knee Surgery

· Liposuction

· Gynecological Procedures

"Our Guide makes it easy for Virginian's to learn why a procedure may be necessary, its risks and benefits and tools to find and compare healthcare providers in their community." notes Michael T. Lundberg, VHI's Executive Director. VHI includes how often healthcare providers perform the procedure, their charges and location. For some procedure groups, VHI lists the average statewide amount health insurance companies approve for payment.

Virginia Health Information (VHI) is the nonprofit organization that businesses, consumers, the Commonwealth of Virginia and health insurance companies go to for health information. VHI publishes reports and consumer guides on health insurance, hospitals, HMOs, nursing facilities, physicians and other topics at www.vhi.org. To find the latest updates on health care data and statistics, find and like VHI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vahealth.

Press Contact:
Virginia Health Information
Michael T. Lundberg, Executive Director
Phone: 804-644-7026, Toll Free: 1-877-VHI-INFO
Web Site: www.vhi.org

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SOURCE Virginia Health Information