At a glance
- Learn what restricted data are available from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
- Researchers interested in using these data must obtain approval through the Research Data Center.
Overview
The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) collects data about medical services provided to patients in office-based health care settings. The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) ended in 2022. NHAMCS collected data about medical services for patients who were treated in hospital emergency and outpatient departments.
NAMCS and NHAMCS are conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The majority of NAMCS and NHAMCS variables are publicly available. Researchers are highly encouraged to conduct preliminary analyses using these data.
Researchers interested in accessing and/or conducting analyses using restricted NAMCS/NHAMCS variables must seek approval from the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC).
Data
Below is a list of the standard restricted variables. Please use this list when creating the data dictionary for your RDC Proposal.
NAMCS and NHAMCS restricted data
- If you are interested in using variables from NAMCS/NHAMCS that are not on the public files nor listed on the above file, please send an inquiry to rdca@cdc.gov.
- In your email, include a list of questions from the survey instrument for which you were unable to find the corresponding variables.
- Proposals requesting these types of variables should not be submitted without first contacting rdca@cdc.gov.
Geographic data
Data documentation
Visit the NAMCS and NHAMCS websites to find data dictionaries and documentation for these surveys.