More Than 50% of Hysterectomies Underreported

PHILADELPHIA, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- JAMA Surgery reports, "the highest quality national trend estimates have been significantly limited by exclusion of outpatient surgery...Falsely low hysterectomy rates based on inpatient-only data can imply a greater use of alternative therapies (to hysterectomy) than what may actually be occurring."    

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) excluded the majority of hysterectomies in their statistics by not including women who had undergone hysterectomies in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) and hospitals that discharged women in <24 hours. The trend in outpatient hysterectomy continues to rapidly increase.  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) February 2018 revised Statistical Brief 223 reported the number of inpatient and ambulatory hysterectomies.

Even the conservative American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) acknowledges that at least 70% of the 620,000 hysterectomies women undergo every year are unnecessary at a cost of 17B a year. Many women experience lifelong irreversible health issues after hysterectomy.

Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services (HERS) Foundation

HERS is a nonprofit international women's health education organization founded in 1982.

Contact: Nora W Coffey, President
Phone: 610-667-7757 610-662-9114 (c)
Email: [email protected] 
http://www.hersfoundation.com/

SOURCE HERS Foundation