Category: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Q & A from Author of Emergency Department Visits with Suicide Ideation

Picture of sad girl. Text says people ages 14–18 more likely to visit emergency department for suicidal thoughts in 2016–2020

Questions for Alex Strashny, Health Statistician and Lead Author of “Emergency Department Visits with Suicidal Ideation: United States, 2016-2020.” Why did you decide to do a report on emergency department visits with suicidal ideation? That’s a great question. Suicide is a major public health issue. Before to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the United States, suicide Read More >

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PODCAST: The Toll of COVID-19 on Physician Practices

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The COVID-19 pandemic took a major toll on the U.S. health care system. In a new report released on September 28, data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to examine how COVID-19 impacted physician practices around the country. Joining us to discuss that new study is Zach Peters, a health statistician with the NCHS Division of Health Care Statistics. Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Office-Based Physicians Who Had Telephone or Internet/Email Consults with Patients — National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2018 and 2020

The percentage of office-based physicians who reported having telephone consults with patients during their last normal week of practice increased from 35.8% in 2018 to 57.4% in 2020. The percentage who reported having Internet/email consults with patients also increased from 13.9% in 2018 to 26.8% in 2020. In both years, physicians were more likely to Read More >

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QuickStats: Distribution of Emergency Department Visits Made by Adults, by Age and Number of Chronic Conditions — United States, 2017–2019

During 2017–2019, 38.5% of adult emergency department visits were made by patients with no chronic conditions, 22.9% made by those with one, 15.3% made by those with two, and 23.3% made by those with three or more chronic conditions. The percentage of adult emergency department visits made by patients with no chronic conditions or one Read More >

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Emergency Department Visit Rates by Selected Characteristics: United States, 2018

Questions for Christopher Cairns, Health Statistician and Lead Author of “Emergency Department Visit Rates by Selected Characteristics: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, United States, 2018.” Q: Do you have trend data on emergency department visit rates that goes further back than 2007? CC: We do have annual reports of emergency department visits prior to Read More >

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Urban-rural Differences in Visits to Office-based Physicians by Adults with Hypertension: United States, 2014–2016

Questions for Danielle Davis, Health Statistician and Lead Author of “Urban-rural Differences in Visits to Office-based Physicians by Adults With Hypertension: United States, 2014–2016.” Q: Why did you decide to research urban-rural differences in visits to office-based physicians by adults with hypertension? DD: During grad school, I worked on a project with the Baltimore City Read More >

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Trends in Opioids Prescribed at Discharge From Emergency Departments Among Adults: United States, 2006–2017

Questions for Lead Author Anna Rui, Health Statistician, of “Trends in Opioids Prescribed at Discharge From Emergency Departments Among Adults: United States, 2006–2017.” Q: Why did you decide to look at opioid prescribing at emergency department discharges? AR: There is a large body of research reporting increases in opioid prescription rates from 1999 to 2010 Read More >

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Characteristics of Asthma Visits to Physician Offices in the United States: 2012–2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Questions for Lead Author Lara Akinbami, Health Statistician, of “Characteristics of Asthma Visits to Physician Offices in the United States: 2012–2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.” Q: Why did you decide to do a report on asthma visits to physician offices? LK: Asthma is a common chronic condition in the United States: in 2016 8.3% Read More >

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Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2016

A new NCHS report examines visit rates by age and sex. It also examines visit characteristics—including insurance status, reason for visit, and services—by age. Estimates use data from the 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Key Findings: In 2016, there were an estimated 278 office-based physician visits per 100 persons. The visit rate among females Read More >

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Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2015

Questions for Jill Ashman, Ph.D., Health Statistician, and Lead Author of “Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2015” Q: What made you write this report on doctors’ office visits? JA: Our intent in producing this data brief is to provide the annual summary of National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) data. Last year we created the Read More >

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Characteristics of Office-based Physician Visits, 2014

In 2014, most Americans had a usual place to receive health care (86% of adults and 97% of children). A majority of children and adults listed a doctor’s office as the usual place they received care. In 2014, there were an estimated 885 million office-based physician visits in the United States. A new NCHS report examines office-based Read More >

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Characteristics of Primary Care Physicians in Patient-centered Medical Home Practices: United States, 2013

Questions for Esther Hing, Survey Statistician and Lead Author on “Characteristics of Primary Care Physicians in Patient-Centered Medical Home Practices: United States, 2013” Q: Can you define what a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) practice is? EH: One of several PCMH definitions is that PCMHs provide care that is: comprehensive care provided by a team of providers, Read More >

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Physician Office Visits for ADHD in Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years: United States, 2012–2013

Questions for Michael Albert, Medical Officer and Lead Author on “Physician Office Visits for Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years: United States, 2012–2013” Q: Did we learn anything new from this new report about the problem of Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children? MA: Yes, this report provides a snapshot of health care Read More >

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State Variation in Preventive Care Visits, by Patient Characteristics, 2012

Preventive care visits such as general medical examinations, prenatal visits, and well-baby visits give physicians and other health professionals the opportunity to screen for diseases or conditions, as well as to promote healthy behaviors that may delay or prevent these conditions and reduce subsequent use of emergency or inpatient care. In an NCHS report, the Read More >

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Variation in Physician Office Visit Rates by Patient Characteristics and State, 2012

An NCHS report examines the rate of physician office visits by patient age, sex, and state. Visits by adults with private insurance as their expected source of payment were also examined. Estimates are based on the 2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative survey of physician office visits. State estimates for the 34 Read More >

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Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Ischemic Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: United States, 2001–2011

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) cause similar symptoms, but the blockage of blood flow to the brain is temporary. However, about one-third of people who have a TIA will have a stroke within 1 year. Emergency Read More >

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Emergency Department Visits and Proximity to Patients’ Residences, 2009–2010

The number of emergency department (ED) visits rose 44% from 1991 through 2010, even as the number of hospital EDs declined 10% over the same period. As a result, EDs have increasingly experienced overcrowding and longer waiting times. Using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a new NCHS report provides how often patients go to Read More >

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A brief look at heart disease

As a farewell to “American Heart Month,” here’s a brief synopsis of why the heart and its health affects so many of us: Heart disease is the nation’s leading cause of death, responsible for 629,191 deaths in 2006 (National Vital Statistics System, 2006). Heart disease is the nation’s leading diagnosis for hospitalization, at 4.2 million Read More >

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Anti-depressant Use

CNN recently ran a story that has gained some attention. It is entitled CDC: Antidepressants most prescribed drugs in U.S. […]According to a government study, antidepressants have become the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. They’re prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches. CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen Read More >

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Ambulatory Care Visits

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today issued a new report, “Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2005,” which contains information on patient visits to emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and physician offices. Highlights of the report: There were over 1.2 billion patient visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient clinics, and emergency rooms in 2005.  Read More >

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New Emergency Department Report

Released today. Some of the highlights During 2005, an estimated 115.3 million visits were made to hospital EDs, about 39.6 visits per 100 persons. This represents on average roughly 30,000 visits per ED in 2005, a 31 percent increase over 1995 (23,000). Visit rates have shown an increasing trend since 1995 for persons 22–49 years Read More >

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New Ambulatory Care Report

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today issued a new report, “Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2005,” which contains information on patient visits to emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and physician offices. Highlights of the report: There were over 1.2 billion patient visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient clinics, and emergency rooms in 2005. Read More >

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Anti-depressant use by minors

Information on the number of prescriptions written to  minors for anti-depressants can be found in Health, United States 2006 at Table 92. (located on page 331 of a very large .pdf file). Briefly in the period 1995-96 there were 1.9 prescriptions written for anti-depressants for every 100 persons aged 18 and under. By 2003-04 that number Read More >

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