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 (CDC/NCHS). The Health Center Component collects electronic health record (EHR) data from health centers that serve areas and groups with limited access to medical care.

Key Information (for Public Use File Only)*

Dataset Contents
Data Date Span	2022-Jan-01 to 2024-Dec-31
Patient Count	1,236,461
Deceased Count	N/A
Update Status	Active
Dataset Type	Electronic Health Records, Survey
Visit Context	Outpatient
Region	United States
Age Restrictions	N/A

Dataset Contents

Data Date Span

2022-Jan-01 to 2024-Dec-31

Patient Count

1,236,461

Deceased Count

N/A

Update Status

Active

Dataset Type

Electronic Health Records, Survey

Visit Context

Outpatient

Region

United States

Age Restrictions

N/A

Access & Availability
Native Data Structure	Custom
Hosting	Data available in data source’s environment (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	Identifiable
De-identified Data Set	De-identified

Access & Availability

Native Data Structure

Custom

Hosting

Data available in data source’s environment (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

Identifiable

De-identified Data Set

De-identified

*The restricted-use dataset is available upon request through an application to the CDC Research Data Center (RDC) here: https://www.cdc.gov/rdc/index.html.

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

Last updated Sep 24, 2026