Virginia Health Information Issues 2013 Report on HMO Cost & Quality

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With ten HMOs serving 1.1 million Virginians, choosing the right health plan may seem confusing. Virginia Health Information (VHI) is offering Virginia consumers and employers a tool to compare and track HMO performance on more than 60 key cost and quality measures. This is the eleventh year that VHI has provided "Compare HMOs," a free, online reporting tool for Virginians.  

Health insurance cost and coverage are important issues for consumers throughout Virginia. VHI's "Compare HMOs" report shows that many health services covered by HMOs show year-after-year improvements for members. Rankings of HMOs vary by measure, and consumers can decide what is important to them to make informed decisions when choosing a health plan. 

The report also contains findings underscoring the need for increased rates of cancer screening. For example, the percent of women receiving cervical cancer screenings in 2012, nearly 76%, reflects a downward trend from the high of 82% in 2008. Cervical cancer screening is important because the U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that up to 35% of premature deaths from cancer could be avoided through screening.

VHI's "Compare HMOs" report provides detailed data to employers and health care consumers to help them make informed decisions. Virginians can use the information to evaluate the effectiveness of care for dozens of services including:  

• Access to preventive care such as cancer screenings
• Immunizations
• Cardiovascular Disease Management
• Diabetes Care and Management
• Mental health

Other highlights from this year's report include:

Immunizations:

• Nearly 83% of enrolled children 2 years or older received all recommended vaccinations.
• An average of 56% of adult members between the ages 50-64 received a flu shot, slightly above the national average.

Member Satisfaction:

• On average, 94% of members were satisfied with how well their doctor communicated with them.
• 3 out of 4 members gave their overall health care the highest rating, the highest in 5 years.

For more information and to view the data online, visit http://vhi.org/hmo_compare.asp.

About VHI: 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.

For More Information Contact

Virginia Health Information
Michael T. Lundberg, Executive Director
Phone: 804-644-7026
Web Site: www.vhi.org

SOURCE Virginia Health Information

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