At a glance
- The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) collects data annually.
- Find survey methods, questionnaires, and other resources used to collect the annual NAMCS data.
- Access important technical information to help you understand, analyze, and use NAMCS data.
Overview
Resources on this page provide information about the annual National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) data collection, its participants, and its protocols, as well as analytic notes and references. They will help you understand, analyze, and use the annual NAMCS data.
Find survey instruments, data, and other resources from previous NAMCS years at—
- 2022 NAMCS Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation
- 2021 NAMCS Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation
- 2020 NAMCS Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation
- 2019 NAMCS Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation
- 2018 NAMCS Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation
Resources from earlier survey years are available through the CDC Archive. There you will find older questionnaires, datasets, and documentation for public use, and supporting materials for restricted data.
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Survey sample
NAMCS began as a survey of office-based physicians and their patients' visits. From 2006 to 2011, NAMCS also collected data from a sample of physicians, physician assistants and associates, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwifes working in community health centers. Since 2012, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released a separate data file for community health centers with estimates of patient visits.
In 2021, the former community health center sample of NAMCS was redesigned and launched as the NAMCS Health Center Component, collecting visit data from health centers using electronic health records.
NAMCS did not collect data from office-based physicians in 2022. In 2023, the redesigned physician sample of NAMCS was launched as the NAMCS Provider Survey Component. The redesigned survey includes physicians, physician assistants, and physician associates who provide ambulatory care. No visit data are collected as part of the current NAMCS Provider Survey Component.
Learn more about the survey design
Questionnaires
Health Center Component
NAMCS conducts an annual interview to collect basic facility-level data from participating health centers. The interview covers topics like facility characteristics, total number of annual visits, and use of electronic health records. NAMCS has conducted this interview since the Health Center Component was redesigned and relaunched in 2021.
NAMCS does not release data provided by health centers in this annual interview. NCHS staff use these data internally to calculate national estimates that fully represent the wide range in sizes, structures, and services of health centers providing ambulatory care across the country.
Health centers provide their patient-level data to NAMCS via transfer of electronic health records. Therefore, NAMCS does not use questionnaires or other types of survey instruments to collect these data.
Survey instruments used to collect data from community health centers prior to the 2021 redesign are available with other technical documentation for those years.
Provider Survey Component
NAMCS currently uses a survey to collect data from office-based providers. Survey questionnaires are available for the years since the redesign and relaunch of this NAMCS component in 2023.
Prior to 2022, NAMCS used different survey instruments to collect data from office-based physicians. Those instruments are available with other technical documentation from those years.
2024
Health Center Component
NCHS collects NAMCS Health Center Component data via electronic records transfer. These transfers happen continuously throughout the year.
Provider Survey Component
NCHS began collecting 2024 NAMCS Provider Survey Component data in August. Data collection is expected to end in November 2024. Currently, NAMCS collects provider-level data but no patient visit data as part of its Provider Survey Component.
2023
Health Center Component
NCHS collects NAMCS Health Center Component data via electronic records transfer. Release of 2023 NAMCS data from the Health Center Component will begin by early 2025.
Provider Survey Component
Currently, NAMCS collects provider-level data but no patient visit data as part of its Provider Survey Component.