Snyder's of Hanover, Inc. And The Ground System's Division Of United Defense Join Graphic Surgery LLC's Initiative To Lower Health Care Costs

ST. LOUIS, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphic Surgery LLC today announced that Snyder's of Hanover, Inc. and the Ground System's Division of United Defense have joined Brown Shoe Company and the Premcor Refining Group as nationally recognized employers that are using the firm's innovative online health care information network.

As medical costs continue to rise at accelerated rates, many companies like Snyder's, United Defense, Brown Shoe and Premcor have implemented consumer driven strategies to involve their employees in their health care choices so they will become more prudent users of health care. Because Graphic Surgery's services are web-based, the firm anticipates significant expansion possibilities as employers anywhere can offer this resource to their employees with the click of a mouse. Snyder's of Hanover is in Hanover, PA; while United Defense is headquartered in York, PA, and also has locations in Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, CA, and Aiken, S.C. Brown Shoe is headquartered in St. Louis, and Premcor has its headquarters in Old Greenwich, CT, with locations in several other states.

Through Graphic Surgery, employees gain access to easy-to-understand information about the most common surgeries and their risks, thereby improving their decision making process, increasing the success of treatments and avoiding common problems associated with surgery. Statistics show that the employee utilization rate has been as high as 10.8 percent just two weeks after implementation, with users spending an average of 8.1 minutes at the site.

Upon visiting the site, a user can chose the type of surgery they are curious about. Through narration clear of technical jargon and easy-to- understand graphics, the surgery is described and common questions are discussed.

"Using education to improve decision-making and treatment results in a better long-term solution for controlling costs rather than increasing co-pays or trying to limit treatments," said neurosurgeon Dr. Patricia Gelnar, co- founder of Graphic Surgery.

Based in St. Louis, Graphic Surgery delivers integrated and scalable tools that allow employers, physicians, hospitals, and health insurers to communicate critical information, improve patient satisfaction and safety, decrease medical malpractice liability, and ultimately improve the overall quality of health care. For more information, call 314-812-8010 or visit http://www.graphicsurgery.com/info .

Graphic Surgery LLC

CONTACT: Julie Hauser, +1-314-436-9090, or Victoria Gonzalez,+1-866-424-0022, vagonz@graphicsurgery.com , both of Graphic Surgery LLC

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