National Amb

Factsheet

ulatory Medical Care Survey

GENERAL SURGERY

In 2009, there were an estimated 

24 million visits to nonfederally 

employed, office-based physicians 

specializing in general surgery in the 

United States. More than 60 percent of 

the visits were made by persons 

between 25–64 years of age.

The annual visit rate increased 

with age.

Primary expected source of 

payment included:

 Private insurance — 66% 

 Medicare — 32%

 Medicaid — 9%

 

 

 

The major reason for visit was: 

 Pre- or post-surgery/injury

 follow-up — 44%

 New problem — 32%

 Chronic problem, routine — 12%

 Chronic problem, flare-up — 5%

The top 4 reasons given by patients 

for visiting general surgeons were: 

 Postoperative visit

 Hernia of abdominal cavity

 Preoperative visit

 Stomach and abdominal pain

The top 4 diagnoses were:

 Hernia of abdominal cavity 

 Malignant neoplasms

 Disorders of the breast 

 Disorders of gallbladder and 

 biliary tract

Medications or immunizations were 

provided or prescribed at 39 percent of 

the visits to general surgeons. The top 2 

generic substances utilized were:

 Levothyroxine

 Metoprolol

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

39

24

20

12

5

<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 7

45–64 12

65–74 24

75+ 17

Patient’s age in years

Male 6

Female 10

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

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

journals, including JAMA, American Journal of Public Health, and Medical Care. Here are just a 

few recent publications using NAMCS data: 

Craig BM, Bell BA, Quinn GP, Vadaparampil ST. Prevalence of Cancer Visits by Physician Specialty, 

1997–2006. J Cancer Educ. Mar 2010. [Epub ahead of print]

Valderas JM, Starfield B, Forrest CB, Sibbald B, Roland M. Ambulatory care provided by office-based 

specialists in the United States. Ann Fam Med. 7(2):104–11. Mar–Apr 2009.

Housman TS, Hancox JG, Mir MR, Camacho F, Fleischer AB, Feldman SR, Williford PM. What 

Specialties Perform the Most Common Outpatient Cosmetic Procedures in the United States? 

Dermatol Surg. Dec 2007. [Epub ahead of print]

Morgan PA, Strand J, Ostbye T, Albanese MA. Missing in action: care by physician assistants and 

nurse practitioners in national health surveys. Health Serv Res. 42(5):2022–37. Oct 2007.

Warino L, Tusa M, Camacho F, Teuschler H, Fleischer AB Jr, Feldman SR. Frequency and cost of 

actinic keratosis treatment. Dermatol Surg. 32(8):1045–9. Aug 2006.

Burt CW, Sisk JE. Which physicians and practices are using electronic medical records? Health Aff 

(Millwood). 24(5):1334–43. Sep–Oct 2005.

Gonzalez HM, West B, Underwood W 3rd. PSA testing in office-based clinics: are we testing as much 

as we think? J Am Coll Surg. 201(6):906–12. Dec 2005. [Epub Oct 2005]

Feldman SR, Camacho F, Williford PM, Siegel DM, Balkrishnan R, Fleischer AB. Patients spend 

more time with the physician for excision of a malignant skin lesion than for excision of a benign skin 

lesion. Dermatol Surg. 30(3):351–4. Mar 2004.

Hu J, Balkrishnan R, Camacho F, Lang W, Pearce DJ, Fleischer AB, Feldman SR. The frequent use of 

oral retinoids in combination with other treatments for psoriasis: A retrospective analysis. Journal of 

Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 8(6):411–414. Dec 2004.

Feldman SR, Fleischer AB, Shaffer CL, Kiang SH, Williford PM, Lupton FA, Chen G. Coding 

Multiple Diagnoses for Patient Visits at Which Procedures Were Performed: No Evidence for Abuse 

by Physicians. Dermatol Surg. 29(2):150–154. Feb 2003.

Housman TS, Williford PM, Feldman SR, Teuschler HV, Fleischer AB, Goldman ND, Balkrishnan R, 

Chen G. Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: An Episode of Care Management Approach. Dermatol Surg. 

9(7):700–711. Jul 2003.

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

reports, is available on our Web site.

NAMCS(FS)-4 (7–11)