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:
"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.
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