These and other survey data are also available on CD-ROM and public use data tape, as well as in published summaries. To ensure that such source attributions are captured for social science bibliographic utilities, citations must appear in footnotes or in the reference section of publications. Please indicate in a cover letter which data were used. The 1994 survey contains information from 33,598 patient visits to 1,704 physicians' offices. Data are available on the patient's smoking habits, reason for the visit, expected source of payment, the physician's diagnosis, and the kinds of diagnostic and therapeutic services rendered.
Information is included on the physician's specialization and geographic location.
Demographic information on patients, such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity, was also collected. Office visits made within the United States by patients of nonfederally employed physicians who were primarily involved in office-based patient care activities, but not engaged in the specialties of radiology, pathology, or anesthesiology. Primary sampling units were selected in the first stage, physician practices within PSUs in the second stage, and patient visits to selected physicians in the third stage. NCHS further requires that analysts not use the data to learn the identity of any persons or establishments and that the director of NCHS be notified if any identities are inadvertently discovered. National Center for Health Statistics, 1974.