CCOI

CENTER FOR CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS

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NAMCS - National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey

Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics

Image provided courtesy of CDC NCHS: The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)

Description

The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) is an ongoing national survey of ambulatory medical services provided to patients, conducted by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. The Health Center Component collects electronic health record (EHR) data from federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and FQHC Look-Alikes (LALs) that serve areas and groups with limited access to medical care.

Key Information (for Public Use File Only)*

Note: This dataset profile describes the public use file (PUF) that is available on the CDC/NCHS NAMCS website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/namcs/documentation/index.html. Researchers seeking access to the full, restricted-use dataset must submit an application to the CDC Research Data Center (RDC) via this link: https://www.cdc.gov/rdc/index.html.

Dataset Contents
Profile Date	May 2025
Data Date Span	January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023
Data Refresh Date	2025-Apr-01
Patient Count	114,291,000
Deceased Count	N/A
Recruitment Status	Active
Dataset Type	Electronic Health Records, survey data
Context	Outpatient
Region	United States
Age Restrictions	Between age 0 and 65+

Dataset Contents

Profile Date

May 2025

Data Date Span

January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023

Data Refresh Date

2025-Apr-01

Patient Count

114,291,000

Deceased Count

N/A

Recruitment Status

Active

Dataset Type

Electronic Health Records, survey data

Context

Outpatient

Region

United States

Age Restrictions

Between age 0 and 65+

Access & Availability
Native Data Structure	ICD-10-CM
Hosting	Hosted by CDC NCHS
Database File Size	N/A
Availability Restrictions	Public use files are available. Administrative review and concept approval by the CDC Research Data Center (RDC) is required for access to the full, restricted dataset.
Limited Data Set	HIPAA: Identifiable, Common Rule: De-identified
De-identified Data Set	HIPAA: De-identifiable, Common Rule: De-identified

Access & Availability

Native Data Structure

ICD-10-CM

Hosting

Hosted by CDC NCHS

Database File Size

N/A

Availability Restrictions

Public use files are available. Administrative review and concept approval by the CDC Research Data Center (RDC) is required for access to the full, restricted dataset.

Data Identifiability

Limited Data Set

HIPAA: Identifiable, Common Rule: De-identified

De-identified Data Set

HIPAA: De-identifiable, Common Rule: De-identified

References and Resources:

Homepage: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/namcs/about/index.html
Preliminary Estimates: https://data.cdc.gov/National-Center-for-Health-Statistics/Preliminary-Estimates-of-Visits-to-Health-Centers-/367e-pucc/about_data
Data Visualization: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/dhcs/prelim-hc-visits/index.htm
Dataset Ethics Information:
- NAMCS Research Ethics: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/namcs-health-center/about/index.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_6-research-ethics
- NAMCS Health Center Component Privacy and Confidentiality: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/namcs-health-center/about/privacy-and-confidentiality.html
Dataset Support Contact: mailto:ambcare@cdc.gov

Dataset Dictionary

Technical Documentation

Suggested citation: National Center for Health Statistics. Division of Health Care Statistics. 2023 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Health Center (NAMCS HC) Component Public Use Data File Documentation, February 2025. Hyattsville, Maryland.

Relevant Publications

A list of publications using NAMCS can be found here:

Last updated May 05, 2025