National Amb

Factsheet

ulatory Medical Care Survey

NEUROLOGY

In 2009, there were an estimated

15 million visits to nonfederally 

employed, office-based neurologists 

in the United States. Sixty percent 

of visits were made by persons 25–64 

years of age.

The visit rate was lower for persons 24 

years of age or less compared to the 

four older groups. The visit rate was 

not different for males and females. 

Primary expected source of 

payment included:

 Private insurance — 59%

 Medicare — 32%

 Medicaid — 13%

The major reason for visit was:

 Chronic problem, routine — 58%

 New problem — 23%

 Chronic problem, flare-up — 14%

 

The top 5 reasons given by patients for 

visiting neurologists were: 

 Headache

 Convulsions

 Disturbances of sensation

 Disturbances of memory

 Dizziness

 

The top 4 diagnoses were:

 Migraine

 Spinal disorders

 Headache

 Cerebrovascular disease

Medications were provided or

prescribed at 76 percent of office visits. 

The top 5 generic substances utilized 

were:

 Gabapentin

 Aspirin

 Topiramate

 Donepezil

 Clopidogrel

For more information, contact the 

Ambulatory Care Statistics Branch at 

301-458-4600 or visit our Web site at 

<www.cdc.gov/namcs>.

Percent distribution of office visits by 

patient’s age: 2009

36

24

16 14

10

<25 25–44 45–64 65–74 75+

Patient’s age in years

Annual office visit rates by patient’s 

age and sex: 2009

<25 1

25–44 4

45–64 7

65–74 10

75+ 13

Male 4

Female 6

Number of visits per 100 persons per year
THE IMPORTANCE OF NAMCS DATA Neurology

NAMCS data are widely used in research studies appearing in nationally recognized 

medical journals, including JAMA, Archives of Neurology, and Public Health. Here are just 

a few recent publications using NAMCS data: 

Wilper A, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein D, Nardin R. Impact of insurance status on migraine care in the 

United States: a population-based study. Neurology. 74(15):1178–83. Apr 2010.

Stevens J, Harman J, Pakalnis A, Lo W, Prescod J. Sociodemographic Differences in Diagnosis and 

Treatment of Pediatric Headache. J Child Neurol. Oct 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Wilson RD. Analgesic prescribing for musculoskeletal complaints in the ambulatory care setting after 

the introduction and withdrawal of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 

90(7):1147–51. Jul 2009.

Stojanovski SD, Rasu RS, Balkrishnan R, Nahata MC. Trends in medication prescribing for pediatric 

sleep difficulties in US outpatient settings. Sleep. 30(8):1013–7. Aug 2007.

Avasarala J, Odonovan CA, Roach S, Camacho F, Feldman S. Analysis of NAMCS data for Multiple 

Sclerosis, 1998–2004. BMC Med. 5(1):6. Apr 2007. [Epub ahead of print]

Liptak GS, Stuart T, Auinger P. Health Care Utilization and Expenditures for Children with Autism: 

Data from U.S. National Samples. J Autism Dev Disord. Jul 2006. [Epub ahead of print]

Sankaranarayanan J, Puumala SE, Kratochvil CJ. Diagnosis and treatment of adult 

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at US ambulatory care visits from 1996 to 2003. Curr Med Res 

Opin. 22(8):1475–91. Aug 2006.

Morlock RJ, Tan M, Mitchell DY. Patient characteristics and patterns of drug use for sleep complaints 

in the United States: analysis of National Ambulatory Medical Survey data, 1997–2002. Clin Ther. 

28(7):1044–53. Jul 2006.

Balkrishnan R, Rasu RS, Rajagopalan R. Physician and patient determinants of pharmacologic 

treatment of sleep difficulties in outpatient settings in the United States. Sleep. 28(6):715–9. Jun 2005.

Rasu RS, Shenolikar RA, Nahata MC, Balkrishnan R. Physician and patient factors associated with the 

prescribing of medications for sleep difficulties that are associated with high abuse potential or are 

expensive: An analysis of data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 1996–2001. 

Clinical Therapeutics. 27(12):1970–1979. Dec 2005.

Tan LSM, Morlock R. Sleep complaints and diagnoses in the National Ambulatory Medical Care 

Survey: 1997–2002. Value Health. 8(3):324–324. May–Jun 2005.

The complete list of publications using NAMCS data, which includes hundreds of articles and 

reports, is available on our Web site.

NAMCS(FS)-6 (7-11)