What’s New

Announcements

• To NSAS 2006 Data Users:The 2006 National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS) public use data set was revised in April 2010 to correct an error in the calculation of the AGEINYRS variable for children under 1 year of age. The days and months of these children were incorrectly counted as years in the previously released public use NSAS file. This problem affected about 500 of the approximately 52,000 unweighted records in NSAS, and resulted in children under 1 year of age being misclassified into older age groups. This mistake was discovered when the age distribution obtained using the AGEINYRS variable was different from the one obtained using the AGER10 variable. We advise anyone who has used the AGEINYRS variable in analyses of NSAS 2006 data to rerun these analyses using the revised data set before reporting or publishing any 2006 NSAS data. The posted NSAS Documentation dated May 2009 is unchanged but the data user should note that the data set referred to as NSAS06REV0509.TXT in the documentation is now NSAS06REV0410.TXT. The NSAS06revreadme.txt document has been revised to include the new data set.April 30, 2010
• Revised 2007 NHHCS Medication Public Use Micro-Data File [PDF – 23 KB] (04/2010)
• New NCHS Health E-Stat now available: Electronic Medical Record/Electronic Health Record Use by Office-based Physicians: United States, 2008 and Preliminary 2009 (12/2009)
• Revised 2007 NHHCS Patient File public use micro-data files and documentation [PDF – 15 KB] (10/2009)
• Revised NHSR No. 11, “Ambulatory Surgery in the United States, 2006,” [PDF – 468 KB] (9/2009)
• 2007 NHAMCS public use micro-data files and documentation (9/2009)
• 2007 NAMCS public use micro-data file and documentation (8/2009)
• Released: The Redesigned 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey
• Released: The 2007 National Home Health Aide Survey
• The Redesigned National Hospital Discharge Survey [PPT – 80 KB]
• To NSAS 2006 Data Users:The revised 2006 National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS) public use data set is now available for downloading from our website. The revised public use file documentation is also available. We advise anyone who has used the earlier NSAS data set (released in October 2008) to re-run all analyses using the revised data set before reporting or publishing any 2006 NSAS data. The National Health Statistics Report Number 11, entitled “Ambulatory Surgery in the United States, 2006,” [PDF – 468 KB]) has been revised and is now available. The reasons for the revision of the NSAS data set, which affected some of the procedure estimates, are discussed at the beginning of the public use file documentation and in the report. The report also explains that some other estimates of standard errors were printed incorrectly in the original report and these have been corrected. Estimates from the original report should not be used.September 9, 2009

Data coming soon

• Medications drug data base system from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey
• 2007 Long-Term Care Drug Database System

New data collection efforts

The National Health Care Surveys are constantly being updated to address the most relevant policy questions today and in the future. Click on a topic below to read more about our innovations in a particular healthcare setting.

Ambulatory and hospital care

Long-term care

Ambulatory and hospital care

Physician offices (National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2008)

• New data supplement
  Cervical Cancer Screening Supplement–administered in 2006, 2007, and 2008 to samples of NAMCS primary care providers who screen patients for cervical cancer. The purpose of supplement is to ascertain what approaches physicians are using to screen for cervical cancer and to manage patients with positive test results.

• Sample size expanded
  Community Health Centers–in a departure from the traditional NAMCS design where only physicians are sampled, beginning in 2006, the survey includes an additional sample of community health centers, allowing researchers to make estimates for the care they provide. Within community health centers, the NAMCS is sampling mid-level providers, in addition to physicians.

• Supplemental survey
  Electronic Medical Records–supplemental survey about electronic medical records (EMRs) will be mailed to 2,000 office-based physicians in 2008 as a supplement to the NAMCS. EMR questions are comparable to those in the primary NAMCS survey, but no patient level data are collected.

Emergency and outpatient hospital departments (National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2008)

New data supplements

Pandemic and Emergency Response Preparedness Supplement, an extension of the bioterrorism supplements fielded in 2003-2004, this hospital questionnaire will examine various dimensions of hospital preparedness: including training of clinicians to treat weaponizable biological agents and exposures to chemicals and radiation, development of emergency response plans, availability of resources needed to treat such exposures such as negative pressure isolation rooms. The supplement has been updated to reflect newer public health priorities, including emergency response to influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Cervical Cancer Screening Supplement–administered in 2006, 2007, and 2008 to hospitals with outpatient departments which screen patients for cervical cancer. The survey will allow us to examine practices regarding the provision of human papilloma virus (HPV) tests for approved and non-approved uses, cervical cancer screening methods, use of HPV tests as an adjunct to Pap testing, use of HPV test results for managing patients with abnormal Pap tests, and potential impact of HPV testing on lengthening Pap testing screening intervals. Some questions will allow evaluation of adherence to recent national guidelines about use of HPV testing a) as an adjunct to Pap testing and b) for management of patients with abnormal Pap tests.

Ambulatory surgery (National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery 2006)

In 2006, we went back into the field to collect data from hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery facilities for the first time in 10 years. Our 2006 NSAS survey also collected data on facility characteristics. Data and reports will be available in 2009.

Annual data collection!

Ambulatory surgery centers are an increasingly important source of surgical care in the United States. Historically, NCHS collected data from the only nationally representative sample of ambulatory surgery visits in 1994-1996 and 2006. Because of the need for more frequent collection of these data, hospital-based ambulatory surgery centers became part of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) in 2009. Inclusion of both hospital-based and free-standing ambulatory surgery centers is planned as part of NHAMCS in 2010 and annually thereafter.

Hospital inpatient departments (National Hospital Discharge Survey)

The NHDS is undergoing a major effort to improve the flexibility of it’s design. Currently, data collection is tied to the data elements included on the Uniform Bill (UB-92). An effort is under way to redesign the NHDS to allow for more flexibility in data collected from hospitals. Desired changes include estimates of hospital charges, collection of more in-depth data on patient safety and quality, and improved data on race and ethnicity. A feasibility study was completed in 2007. A pilot and pre-test are being conducted in 2008. The redesigned National Hospital Discharge Survey is planned for 2010.

Long-term care

Residential care facilities (National Survey of Residential Care Facilities)

A new survey of residential care facilities is under construction to be fielded for the first time in 2010.

The National Survey of Residential Care Facilities will be used to address important research and policy questions:

• What are the number and characteristics of residential care facilities? Characteristics include number of units and beds; occupancy rate; ownership (profit/nonprofit, chains/stand-alone small businesses); geography and location (urban/rural); and type of facility (e.g., the extent to which facilities provide private rooms and bathrooms and a high level of services). What are admission and discharge policies? What proportion of facilities serve Medicaid beneficiaries, and if not, why not? Do facilities use restraints? Do facilities use negotiated risk contracts?
• What services and staff are available in residential care facilities? What services do residential care facilities provide and at what level and cost? What services are included in the basic rate? What services are available for additional charges? What skilled services are available and who provides them? Does the facility use or allow outside providers, such as hospice and home health agencies? What is the staff turnover rate? Do facilities that serve residents with a high level of impairment and health needs have more and better trained staff?
• What are the number and characteristics of residents in residential care facilities?
  What are residents’ sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, race, education, ethnic group, family)? What are the residents’ health condition and cognitive and functional status? What is the average length of stay in residential care facilities and the reasons for entering and exiting? How do people pay for residential care? What are the charges for care? How do resident characteristics and outcomes vary by type of residential care facility?

Nursing homes (National Nursing Home Survey, National Nursing Assistant Survey)

Our next surveys are still being planned.

Data are now available from the 2004 surveys. Relative to earlier surveys, the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey has many new features, including:

• Data on medications taken by current nursing home residents.
• Questions on advance directives and end-of-life care.
• Information on the professional background of key nursing home personnel.
• Data on nursing staffing, including turnover information.

The National Nursing Assistant Survey was conducted for the first time in 2004:

• Interviews of nursing assistants were conducted as part of the 2004 NNHS.
• Information on nursing assistants’ plans to stay in current positions.
• Questions on job satisfaction, work environment, and more.

Home and hospice care (National Home and Hospice Care Survey, National Home Health Aide Survey)

The most recent National Home and Hospice Care Survey was conducted from August to December 2007. Data files will be released in 2009 and will have new information on:

• Medications
• End-of-life care
• Staffing
• Key administrative personnel
• Electronic medical records

Data files will also include a first-time National Home Health Aide Survey:

• Interviews of home health aides conducted as part of the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey.
• Collecting information comparable to that in the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey.

In the news

• Americans Make Nearly Four Visits to the Doctor a Year On Average (August 6, 2008)
• CDC Issues New Patient Visit Report (June 29, 2007)
• ER Visits Jump to Record 115 Million (June 29, 2007)
• Training for Terrorism-Related Conditions in Hospitals: United States, 2003-2004 (December 11, 2006)
• Almost Half of Hospitals Experience Crowded Emergency Departments (September 27, 2006)
• More Physicians Using Electronic Medical Records (July 21, 2006)
• Outpatient U.S. Medical Care Exceeds 1 Billion Visits (June 23, 2006)
• More Work Needed to Ensure U.S. Hospitals Equipped and Staffed to Handle Pediatric Emergency Patients (February 28, 2006)
• Increased Diversion Hours Indicates Declining Emergency Department Capacity; Elderly Disproportionately Affected (February 6, 2006)
• Visits to U.S. Emergency Departments at All-Time High; Number of Departments Shrinking (May 26, 2005)
• New Study Shows Limited Use of Electronic Medical Records (March 15, 2005)
• Elderly Patients Prescribed Inappropriate Medications at 8 Percent of Doctor Visits (February 9, 2004)