44 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)

44.1 Organization

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

44.3 Description

  • Information about the provision and use of ambulatory medical care services in US
  • Data includes patient characteristics (e.g. age, sex, race/ethnicity), visit characteristics (e.g. reason for visit, diagnosis, services ordered and provided, treatments) and physician and practice characteristics

44.4 Vintage/Release Frequency

Annual 1993-2016, 2018-2019

44.5 Observational Unit

Visit to described physician

44.6 Collection Methodology

  • National sample of visits to non-federally employed office-based physicians who are primary engaged in direct patient care in US
  • Excludes anesthesiology, pathology, and radiology
  • Separate sample of community health centers added in 2006 (visits to physicians and non-physician clinicians)
  • Each physician reports on a systematic random sample of visits during a randomly assigned 1-week reporting period
  • Because of methodology changes, 2017 is still being harmonized. See https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd/notice.htm

44.8 User Guide/Data Dictionary

Documentation available at the same website as data download

44.9 Cost

Free for download

44.10 Proposal or Application required?

No

44.11 DUA required?

No

44.12 Special Notes