National Amb

Factsheet

ulatory Medical Care Survey

In 2009, there were an estimated 

4 million visits to nonfederally 

mployed, office-based physicians 

pecializing in cardiovascular diseases 

n the United States. More than half of 

he visits were made by persons 65 

ears of age and over.

3

e

s

i

t

y

The visit rate was highest for persons 

65 years and over. The overall rate 

did not differ by sex.

Primary expected source of 

payment included:

 Private insurance — 63%

 Medicare — 53%

 Medicaid — 8%

The major reason for visit was:

 Chronic problem, routine — 52%

 New problem — 21%

 Chronic problem, flare-up — 9% 

 Preventive Care — 9%

 Pre- or post-surgery/injury

 follow-up — 6%

The top 5 reasons given by patients 

for visiting cardiovascular disease 

specialists were: 

 Progress visit

 Chest pain 

 Hypertension

 Ischemic heart disease

 Shortness of breath

The top 5 diagnoses were: 

 Ischemic heart disease

 Heart disease, excluding ischemic

 Essential hypertension

 Chest pain

 Disorders of lipoid metabolism

Medications were provided or 

prescribed at 87 percent of office visits. 

The top 5 generic substances utilized 

were:

 Aspirin

 Metoprolol

 Furosemide

 Simvastatin

 Lisinopril

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

34

25

33

8

<44 45–64 65–74

Patient’s age in years

75+

Annual office visit rates by patient’s 

age and sex: 2009

65

42

15 12 11

Femal

1

<45 45–64 65–74 75+ Male e

Number of visits per 100 persons per year

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
THE IMPORTANCE OF NAMCS DATA Cardiovascular Diseases

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

medical journals, including JAMA, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and 

Archives of Internal Medicine. Here are just a few recent publications using NAMCS data: 

Willson MN, Neumiller JJ, Sclar DA, Robison LM, Skaer TL. Ethnicity/Race, Use of 

Pharmacotherapy, Scope of Physician-Ordered Cholesterol Screening, and Provision of 

Diet/Nutrition or Exercise Counseling during US Office-Based Visits by Patients with 

Hyperlipidemia. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 10(2):105–8.

Bleich SN, Pickett-Blakely O, Cooper LA. Physician practice patterns of obesity diagnosis and 

weight-related counseling. Patient Educ Couns. Mar 2010. [Epub ahead of print]

Fang J, Keenan NL, Ayala C. Health care services provided during physician office visits for 

hypertension: differences by specialty. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 12(2):89–95. Feb 2010.

Neumiller JJ, Sclar DA, Robison LM, Setter SM, Skaer TL. Rate of obesity in U.S. ambulatory 

patients with diabetes mellitus: A national assessment of office-based physician visits. Prim Care 

Diabetes. Jul 2009. [Epub ahead of print]

Ma J, Xiao L. Assessment of body mass index and association with adolescent preventive care in 

U.S. outpatient settings. J Adolesc Health. 44(5):502–4. May 2009. [Epub Nov 2008]

Sonnenfeld N, Schappert SM, Lin SX. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Delivery of 

Tobacco-Cessation Services. Am J Prev Med. Oct 2008. [Epub ahead of print]

Aparasu RR, Aparasu A. Hypertension management in outpatient visits by diabetic patients. Res 

Social Adm Pharm. (3):284–91. Sep 2008. [Epub Aug 2008]

Keyhani S, Scobie JV, Hebert PL, McLaughlin MA. Gender disparities in blood pressure control 

and cardiovascular care in a national sample of ambulatory care visits. Hypertension. 

51(4):1149–55. Apr 2008. [Epub Feb 2008]

Huebschmann AD, Bublitz C, Anderson RJ. Are hypertensive elderly patients treated differently? 

Clin Interv Aging. 1(3):289–94. 2006.

Coyne KS, Paramore C, Grandy S, Mercader M, Reynolds M, Zimetbaum P. Assessing the direct 

costs of treating nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in the United States. Value Health. 9(5):348–56. 

Sep–Oct 2006.

Holmes JS, Arispe IE, Moy E. Heart disease and prevention: race and age differences in heart 

disease prevention, treatment, and mortality. Med Care. 43:I-33–I-41. 2005.

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

and reports is available on our Web site.

NAMCS(FS)-1 (7-11)