VHI Releases Outpatient Procedures Report Comparing Charges by Location

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Jun 03, 2014, 09:45 ET

RICHMOND, Va., June 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Outpatient surgery has become an increasingly important part of medical care with many procedures that in the past required overnight hospital stays which may now be safely performed in an outpatient facility. Virginia Health Information (VHI) collects outpatient surgical data from hospital outpatient departments, licensed ambulatory surgical centers and doctors' offices across Virginia.

VHI has published its 2012 Outpatient Procedure reports at www.vhi.org/outpatient, providing consumers with information about the procedure as well as how often Virginia health care providers perform outpatient procedures and their charges.

The procedures were chosen based upon their frequency, charges and real or perceived risk to the patient. Procedures include:

Breast Surgery
Colonoscopy
Facial Surgery
Gall Bladder Removal
General Laparoscopic Procedures
Hernia Repair
Hysterectomy
Knee Surgery
Liposuction
Other Gynecological Procedures

"Consumers want general information on why a procedure is needed, how it is performed, the risks, benefits, alternatives and recovery time. VHI couples the background information with specific lists of where the procedure is performed, how often and the pre-discounted charges" notes Michael T. Lundberg, VHI's Executive Director. Visitors to the website will see that some procedures such as colonoscopy are performed in physician offices, ambulatory surgical centers and hospital outpatient departments. Other procedures such as hernia repair are performed mainly in hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers. Consider how often the procedures are performed; experience can matter when choosing a place for your care.

"If you need to have an outpatient surgical procedure talk with your doctor about the best place for your care, taking into consideration your specific needs and health", says Lundberg.

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