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United States Department of Health and Human Services
 Home > Publications and Materials > Health Care

Health Care
Publications and Materials

Below are selected publications and materials related to health care, including ambulatory medical care, hospitalizations, medications, and other issues. Please note the year of publication may be later than the year(s) the data represent.

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2008 Publications and Materials
2007 Publications and Materials
2006 Publications and Materials
2005 Publications and Materials
2004 Publications and Materials
2003 Publications and Materials
2002 Publications and Materials
2001 Publications and Materials

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National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2006 PDF (9/5/08)
This report presents information about inpatient hospital utilization during 2006 as well as trend data for selected variables. Over one-quarter of all procedures performed on females were obstetrical. Cesarean section and repair of current obstetric laceration were the most frequent obstetrical procedures performed.

Breastfeeding-Related Maternity Practices at Hospitals and Birth Centers- United States, 2007 (6/23/08)
This report indicates that 1) a substantial proportion of facilities used maternity practices that are not evidence-based and are known to interfere with breastfeeding and 2) states in the southern United States generally had lower scores, including certain states previously determined to have the lowest 6-month breastfeeding rates.

Characteristics of Office-Based Physicians and Their Medical Practices- United States, 2005-2006 PDF (6/23/08)
Nearly 1 in 10 medical practices were multi-specialty groups and accounted for 20.3 percent of all physicians. About one in four office-based physicians were female. Specialties with the most physicians included general and family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Acute Renal Failure Associated with Cosmetic Soft-Tissue Filler Injections- North Carolina, 2007 (6/23/08)
These findings underscore the risks posed by cosmetic injections administered by unlicensed practitioners. Public health officials should be alert for adverse events associated with these injections and take all necessary actions to prevent additional injuries. 

Easy Read Video: New Women抯 Health Resources from the CDC (5/11/08)
This 3 minute video highlights recent CDC resources for health professionals.

Atlas of Stroke Hospitalizations among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2008 (4/30/08)
To provide additional support to states to monitor and improve the quality of care for stroke, this publication presents national Medicare data at the county level for the aggregated time period of 1995�02. Within the study population for this atlas, there were an average 27,759,446 Medicare beneficiaries per year during 1995�02. Just under 60% of the beneficiaries were women.

Easy Read Adult and Older Adult Adverse Drug Events (4/30/08)
Medicines cure infectious diseases, prevent problems from chronic diseases, and alleviate pain and suffering for millions of Americans every day. But medicines can also cause harm. When someone has been harmed by a medicine, they have had an adverse drug event. Learn more to reduce the risk of harm from adverse drug events.

National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2005 PDF (8/31/07)
This report presents national estimates of the use of nonfederal short-stay hospitals in the United States during 2005 and selected trend data. Obstetrical procedures comprised 25 percent of all procedures performed on females. Females had more operations on the digestive system than males.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: Outpatient Department Summary, 2005 PDF (8/31/07)
During 2005, an estimated 90.4 million visits were made to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States. Females had higher OPD visit rates than males. The female visit rate for preventive care was more than twice that for males. The majority of pregnancy visits to OPD clinics were made by women in their third trimester (48.2 percent).

Medications: Information for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (8/31/07)
It is increasingly important that women talk with their doctor about the risks and benefits of taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements before getting pregnant, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding.

Figure 4. Percent distribution of all-listed procedures in major categories for hospitalized patients by sex- United States, 2005: National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2005 (page 5) PDF (8/31/07)

Trends in Health Status and Health Care Use among Older Women PDF (6/12/07)
This fact sheet includes information on demographic characteristics, health status, health risk factors and behaviors, and health care. In 2005, there were 21 million women aged 65 years and over living in the United States, compared with 15 million men.

A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Moving Science into Coverage (6/12/07)
This resource translates clinical guidelines and medical evidence, providing large employers with the information they need to select, define, and implement preventive medical benefits such as breast and cervical cancer, contraceptive use, depression, and healthy pregnancy.

Characteristics of Office-Based Physicians and Their Practices: United States, 2003�04 PDF (2/1/07)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_164.pdf
This report presents demographic and practice characteristics of nonfederal physicians who were primarily engaged in office-based patient care in the United States during 2003�04.

Medication Therapy in Ambulatory Medical Care: United States, 2003�04 PDF (1/8/07)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_163.pdf
An estimated 1.9 billion drugs per year were provided, prescribed, or continued at ambulatory care visits in the United States during 2003 and 2004. Two-thirds of the 1.1 billion ambulatory care visits per year included medication therapy. Of the 50 drugs most frequently reported overall, three-quarters of them were accounted for by six therapeutic classes: pain relievers, cardiovascular-renal agents, respiratory tract drugs, central nervous system drugs (antianxiety agents and antidepressants), hormonal agents, and antimicrobials. Ibuprofen, aspirin, atorvastatin calcium, acetaminophen, and albuterol were the five most frequently reported medications. Drug mention rates (i.e., the number of drug mentions per 100 visits) for males and females were not significantly different, with one exception. The drug mention rate was higher for females (196.6 per 100 visits) than males (184.1 per 100 visits) at emergency department visits.

Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2006 PDF (1/8/07)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200612.pdf
From January through June 2006, 42.4 million persons of all ages (14.5%) were uninsured at the time of the interview, 53.0 million (18.1%) had been uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the interview, and 30.1 million (10.3%) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of the interview.

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State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments- United States, 2005 (12/1/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5544a2.htm
PDF
PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5544.pdf
This report summarizes survey results, which indicated that as of December 31, 2005: 1) 38 state Medicaid programs covered some tobacco-dependence treatment (i.e., counseling or medication) for all Medicaid recipients; 2) four states offered coverage only for pregnant women; 3) one state (Oregon) offered coverage for all medication and counseling treatments recommended by the 2000 PHS guideline; and 4) seven states (including Oregon) covered all recommended medications and at least one form of counseling.

Diabetes Care Better Than Ten Years Ago (9/19/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/news/docs/diabetescare.htm
A recently published study indicates improvement in diabetes care over the past 10 years. This summary looks at changes in glucose and cholesterol control, along with blood pressure; yearly eye and foot examinations; new national initiatives on quality care; and reasons why we need to continually focus on effective treatment and preventive measures.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Summary: 2004 Summary PDF (7/28/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad374.pdf
Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/estimates2004/ estimates04.htm
This report presents information about office-based physician utilization during 2004. During 2004, an estimated 910.9 million visits were made to physician offices in the United States, an overall rate of 315.9 visits per 100 persons. Overall, 58.9 percent of visits were to physicians in the specialties of general and family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. In 2004, primary care specialists provided 87.2 percent of all preventive care visits. Essential hypertension, malignant neoplasms, acute upper respiratory infection, and diabetes mellitus were the leading illness-related primary diagnoses.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2004 Outpatient Department Summary PDF (7/28/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad373.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected hospital, patient, and visit characteristics. Selected trends in OPD utilization from 1994 through 2004 are also presented. Females (35.1 per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than males (23.6 per 100 persons). Black or African American persons (50.3 per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than white persons (27.0 visits per 100 persons). The overwhelming majority of visits to hospital OPDs were made by established patients (85.4 percent). Females made 75.5 percent of preventive care visits.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2004 Emergency Department Summary PDF (7/28/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad372.pdf
This report presents the most current nationally representative data on emergency department (ED) care in the United States.
During 2004, an estimated 110.2 million visits were made to hospital EDs, about 38.2 visits per 100 persons. Visit rates have shown an increasing trend since 1994 for persons aged 22� years, 50� years, and 65 years and over. In 2004, more than 16 million patients arrived by ambulance (15.1 percent). At approximately 3 percent of visits, the patient had been seen in the ED within the last 72 hours. Abdominal pain, chest pain, fever, and back symptoms were the leading patient complaints, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all visits.

National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2003 Annual Summary with Detailed Diagnosis and Procedure Data PDF (6/19/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_160.pdf
This report presents 2003 national estimates and trend data on the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States. Estimates are provided by patient and hospital characteristics, diagnoses, and surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed. An estimated 34.7 million inpatients were discharged from non-Federal short-stay hospitals in 2003. They used an estimated 167.3 million days of care and were hospitalized for an average of 4.8 days. Selected Highlights: Females used almost one-third more days of hospital care than males, 95.3 million compared with 72.0 million. Childbirth was the leading cause of hospitalization for the 15� year age group, making up 4.0 million (37 percent) of their discharges. Females had 6.7 million obstetrical procedures, including 1.2 million repairs of current obstetric laceration and 1.1 million cesarean sections.

National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2004 PDF (6/19/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad371.pdf
This report presents the most current nationally representative data on inpatient care in the United States. Data are from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, the Nation抯 longest continuously running survey of hospital utilization. Selected Highlights: Operations on the digestive system were more prevalent among females (3.4 million) than among males (2.4 million). The rate of digestive procedures for females was 226.7 per 10,000 population compared with 170.5 for males. Six diagnostic categories each accounted for 1 million or more discharges. These were heart disease (4.4 million), delivery (4.1 million), psychoses (1.6 million), pneumonia (1.3 million), malignant neoplasms (1.2 million), and fractures (1.0 million).  The discharge rate was 1,192.3 per 10,000 population�4.9 for males and 1,411.3 for females.

Access to Health Care among Hispanic or Latino Women- United States, 2000-2002 PDF (4/24/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad368.pdf
Among the 33.4 million Hispanic or Latino women in the United States, 31% lacked health insurance coverage at the time of interview, 20% had no usual place to go for medical care during the past year, and 22% experienced unmet health care needs during the past year due to cost.
Of the five subgroups of Hispanic or Latino women, Mexican women (35%) and Central or South American women (36%) were more likely than Puerto Rican women (14%) and Cuban women (23%) to lack health insurance coverage.

Recommendations to Improve Preconception Health and Health Care- United States PDF (4/24/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5506.pdf
This report provides recommendations to improve both preconception health and care. The goal of these recommendations is to improve the health of women and couples before conception of a first or subsequent pregnancy. The recommendations should be used by consumers, clinical care providers, public health professionals, researchers, policy makers, and others concerned with the health of women, children, and families.

Learn More about the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (4/24/06)
http://www.medicare.gov/ (Non-CDC site)
Medicare’s new prescription drug coverage can provide savings on brand-name and generic drug costs for every person with Medicare starting January 1, 2006. Information about specific Medicare prescription drug plans is available and enrollment begins November 15, 2005. For more information, visit www.medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or get free counseling from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Ambulatory Care Visits to Physician Offices, Hospital Outpatient Departments, and Emergency Departments- United States, 2001-02 (1/30/06)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_159.pdf
This report presents statistics on ambulatory care visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and hospital emergency departments. Patients in the United States made an estimated 1.1 billion visits per year in 2001 and 2002 (annual average) to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and emergency departments, a rate of 3.8 visits per person annually. This marks the first time that the annual estimate of visits has surpassed the billion mark and is also a significant increase from the 1999�00 estimate. Females had higher visit rates than males to all settings except office-based surgical specialists and emergency departments.

2005 Publications and Materials

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2003 Outpatient Department Survey PDF (12/30/05)  
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad366.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States. Statistics are shown on selected hospital, clinic, patient, and visit characteristics, as well as selected trends in OPD visits since 1993. The report highlights variation in use across the major types of OPD clinics surveyed. Females had higher OPD visit rates than males (39.6 compared with 26.4 visits per 100 persons), and black or African American persons had higher OPD visit rates than white persons (59.7 compared with 29.9 visits per 100 persons).

Study Documents High Costs and Impact of Intimate Partner Violence (Press Release) (10/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r051025.htm
The study, published in the journal Violence and Victims, found the health care costs associated with each incident were $948 in cases where women were the victims and $387 in cases where men were the victims. The study also found that domestic violence against women results in more emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations, including greater use of physician services than domestic violence where men are the victims.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2003 Summary PDF (9/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad365.pdf
During 2003, an estimated 906.0 million visits were made to physician offices in the United States, an overall rate of 317.3 visits per 100 persons. The visit rate to physician offices in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) (334.7 visits per 100 persons) was significantly larger than the rate in non-MSAs (229.3 visits per 100 persons). Females had a higher visit rate compared with males, and white persons had higher rates than black or African-American persons. Overall, 59.4 percent of visits were to physicians in the specialties of general and family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. The rate of preventive care visits was higher for females than for males.

National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2003 PDF (7/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad359.pdf
This report presents national estimates of the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States during 2003 and trend data for selected variables. Numbers and rates of discharges, diagnoses, and procedures are shown by age and sex. Average lengths of stay are presented for all discharges and for selected diagnostic categories by age and sex. Key Findings/Highlights: Nearly one-fifth (4 million) of female discharges were for childbirth. One in four procedures performed on females were obstetrical, and over 1 in 10 procedures were cardiovascular. Females had 1.2 million procedures for the repair of current obstetric laceration, 1.1 million cesarean sections, 914,000 transfusions of blood or blood components, and 884,000 procedures for artificial rupture of membranes while hospitalized. Females had more operations on the digestive system than males.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2003 Emergency Department Summary (Press Release) (5/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/05news/emergencydept.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad358.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected hospital, patient, and visit characteristics. Selected trends in ED utilization from 1993 to 2003 are also presented. During 2003, an estimated 113.9 million visits were made to hospital EDs, about 38.9 visits per 100 persons. In 2003, abdominal pain, chest pain, fever, and cough were the leading patient complaints, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all visits.

Easy Read Medication Use during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (5/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/meds/
Learn answers to frequently asked questions about medication use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

National Hospital Discharge Survey: Annual Summary with Detailed Diagnosis and Procedure Data, 2002 PDF (3/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_158.pdf
This report presents 2002 national estimates and selected trend data on the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States. Estimates are provided by selected patient and hospital characteristics, diagnoses, and surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed. Females had 6.6 million obstetrical procedures, including 1.2 million repairs of current obstetric laceration and 1.1 million cesarean sections. Approximately 4 million women were hospitalized for delivery in 2002, and their average stay was 2.6 days.

Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data from the National Health Interview Survey, January-September 2004 (3/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhis/released200503.htm
This release updates estimates for 15 selected health measures based on data from the January-September 2004 National Health Interview Survey and presents estimates from 1997 through 2003 for comparison. The 15 measures included are lack of health insurance coverage and type of coverage, usual place to go for medical care, obtaining needed medical care, influenza shot, pneumococcal vaccination, obesity, leisure-time physical activity, current smoking prevalence, alcohol consumption, human immunodeficiency virus testing, general health status, personal care needs, serious psychological distress, diagnosed diabetes, and asthma episodes and current asthma.

Health Insurance Coverage: Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January朣eptember 2004 PDF (3/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200503.pdf
From January through September 2004, 41.6 million persons of all ages (14.5%) were uninsured at the time of the interview, 51.0 million (17.7%) had been uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the interview, and 28.9 million (10.1%) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of the interview. Among adults in age groups 18� years, 25� years, and 35� years, men were more likely than women to lack health insurance coverage at the time of interview.

QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged >18 Years Who Used Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) during the Preceding 12 Months, by Sex- United States, 2002 (3/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5411a6.htm
More than half of adults used some type of CAM during the preceding 12 months. Women were more likely than men to use CAM.

Easy Read Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work (1/30/05)
http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/community/
Press Release
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r050106.htm
CDC is reminding people to be cautious about their use of antibiotics. As part of this reminder, CDC is releasing a new series of print and radio public service announcements to raise awareness about proper antibiotic use among parents and healthy adults. Several of the new ads are designed specifically to reach the Spanish-speaking Latino population. The awareness campaign supports a new set of guidelines recently issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, which encourage doctors to limit the use of antibiotics for treating ear infections in children.

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2004 Publications and Materials

State Estimates of Neonatal Health-Care Costs Associated with Maternal Smoking- United States, 1996 (10/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5339a2.htm
PDF (p. 915) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5339.pdf
To characterize costs by state, CDC analyzed pregnancy risk surveillance and birth certificate data to estimate the association between maternal smoking and the probability of infant admission to a neonatal intensive care unit. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which estimated smoking-attributable neonatal expenditures (SAEs) of $366 million in the United States in 1996, or $704 per maternal smoker, and indicated wide variations in SAEs among states.

Access to Health-Care and Preventive Services among Hispanics
and Non-Hispanics- United States, 2001-2002
(10/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5340a2.htm
PDF (p. 937) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5340.pdf
To assess differences in access to health-care and preventive services between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, CDC analyzed 2001-2002 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that disparities exist in access to health-care and preventive services among Hispanics versus non-Hispanics. Hispanic respondents were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic respondents to have health-care coverage, have one or more regular personal health-care providers, or have a regular place of care. Hispanic respondents were significantly more likely than non-Hispanic respondents to report having needed medical care during the preceding 12 months but could not obtain it. Hispanics also were significantly less likely to be screened for blood cholesterol and for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers; to receive a pneumococcal vaccination; and to receive an influenza vaccination within the preceding year.

Ambulatory Care Visits to Physician Offices, Hospital Outpatient Departments, and Emergency Departments: United States, 1999-2000 (9/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/ambulatorycare.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_157.pdf
This report showcases the use of ambulatory medical care services across a broad range of health care settings and paints a picture of variation in medical services obtained by safety-net populations. The report also documents how use of emergency departments varies from less-critical health care settings among differing populations. Females had a higher visit rate than males overall and to primary care physicians, medical specialists, and outpatient departments. There were no gender differences in visit rates to surgical specialists and emergency departments.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Summary (Fact Sheet) (8/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/primarycare.htm
PDF Report PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad346.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits made to physician offices in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected characteristics of the physician抯 practice, the patient, and the visit. This report also highlights visits to primary care specialties. Among the findings, the drug mention rate for obstetrics/gynecology physicians increased 48% from 2001, driven mostly by increases in contraceptives and vitamins. As in previous years, females made the majority of office visits during 2002. The percent of visits was higher for females compared with males across all age groups except for persons under 15 years of age. Sex differences were also observed for visit rates between 15 and 64 years of age.

Lead Poisoning Associated with Ayurvedic Medications - Five States, 2000-2003 (7/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5326a3.htm
PDF (p. 582) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5326.pdf
During 2000-2003, a total of 12 cases of lead poisoning among adults in five states associated with ayurvedic medications or remedies were reported to CDC. This report summarizes these 12 cases, in which seven cases occurred in women. The women were taking the medications for arthritis (two), menstrual health (one), fertility (one), and diabetes (three).

Health Insurance Coverage: Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2003 (Press Release) (7/30/04) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04news/insur2003.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200406.pdf
Overall, 15.2 percent of the population � 43.6 million Americans of all ages � was without current health insurance coverage in 2003, about the same level as in 1997. However, the latest estimates indicated a decline in coverage for working-age adults in 2003. Working-age adults were more likely than seniors or children to lack health insurance coverage, with 20.1 percent lacking coverage during 2003, up from 18.9 percent in 1997. More than half of unemployed adults lacked health insurance in 2003.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2002 Outpatient Department Summary PDF (6/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad345.pdf
During 2002, an estimated 83.3 million visits were made to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States, or about 29.4 visits per 100 persons. This 2002 rate represents a 31 percent increase since 1992, although rates have been stable since 1999. Females had higher OPD visit rates than males, and black or African American persons had higher OPD visit rates than white persons.

Access to Health Care Among Hispanic/Latino Children: 1998-2001 PDF (6/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad344.pdf
Each year, an estimated 3.0 million (25.7%) Hispanic/Latino children lacked health insurance coverage at the time of interview, 1.6 million (14.1%) had no usual place to go for health care during the past year, and 1.4 million (17.6%) experienced unmet health care needs during the past year due to cost.

National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2001 Annual Summary With Detailed Diagnosis and Procedure Data PDF (6/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_156acc.pdf
This report presents 2001 national estimates by selected patient and hospital characteristics, diagnoses, and surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed. Common first-listed discharge diagnoses included delivery, psychoses, pneumonia, malignant neoplasm, and coronary atherosclerosis. Females had higher rates for procedures such as cholecystectomy and total knee replacement. The rates of all cesarean deliveries, primary and repeat, rose from 1995 to 2001; the rate of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery dropped 37 percent during this period.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults- United States, 2002 (Press Release) (5/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04news/adultsmedicine.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad343.pdf
According to a new nationwide government survey, 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. When prayer specifically for health reasons is included in the definition of CAM, the number of U.S. adults using some form of CAM in the past year rises to 62 percent. Overall, the survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of population groups, including women; people with higher education; those who had been hospitalized within the past year; and former smokers, compared to current smokers or those who had never smoked.

National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2002 PDF (5/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad342.pdf
This report presents national estimates of the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States during 2002 and trend data for selected variables. Numbers and rates of discharges, diagnoses, and procedures are shown by age and sex. Data are from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, the longest continuously running nationally representative survey of hospital utilization. Nearly one-fifth (4 million) of female discharges were for childbirth. About one-quarter of all procedures performed on females were obstetrical. Repair of current obstetric laceration, followed by cesarean section, were the most frequent obstetrical procedures performed. Frequent procedures for females were repair of current obstetric laceration, cesarean section, arteriography and angiocardiography, artificial rupture of membranes, episiotomy, hysterectomy, and endoscopy of small intestine.

Patient Flow Analysis (5/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/sata_pfa.htm
WinPFA is the new Windows-compatible update of Patient Flow Analysis. These are software systems that document staff (or personnel) use and client (or patient) flow in health service clinics. In addition, PFA will calculate service costs when the specified data is provided.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: Emergency Department Summary, 2002 (Fact Sheet) (3/30/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/emergencydept.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad340.pdf
A new CDC report documents a continuing increase in the number of Americans seeking medical care in hospital emergency departments, even as other data show the actual number of emergency departments on the decline. Females had a higher visit rate (41.1 per 100 persons) than males (36.6 per 100 persons); 46.3 percent of these visits being made by women in the 15�-year-old age group. The most common reasons given for an emergency department visit were abdominal pain (6.5 percent), chest pain (5.1 percent), and fever (4.8 percent). Injury, poisoning, and adverse effects of medical treatment accounted for 35.5 percent of emergency department visits. Falls, being struck by or striking against, and motor vehicle traffic incidents were the leading causes of injuries accounting for about 40 percent of these visits.

Health Care in America: Trends in Utilization (Fact Sheet) (2/27/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/healthcare.htm
PDF
PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/healthcare.pdf
The purpose of the chartbook is to provide an overview of health care utilization in America, as well as information to help understand utilization patterns in light of factors that affect the delivery of these services. This report presents trends for the past decade in the utilization of health services across the spectrum of care, from ambulatory care, to hospitalization, to nursing home and home health and hospice care. Data specific to women includes: estrogen/progestin drug mentions during physician office and hospital outpatient department visits for women, by age and race; mammograms ordered or provided during physician office and hospital outpatient department visits, by race; and office visits to obstetricians and gynecologists.

Health Insurance Coverage: Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2003 PDF (1/26/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200401.pdf
Selected estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population is provided, based on data from the January朖une 2003 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), along with comparable estimates from the 1997�02 NHIS. Three types of measures of lack of health insurance coverage are provided: current, intermittent, and long term. From January through June 2003, 42.3 million persons of all ages (14.8%) were uninsured at the time of interview, 52.0 million (18.2%) were uninsured for at least part of the past year, and 27.7 million (9.7%) were uninsured for more than a year at the time of interview. Among adults in age groups 18� years, 25� years, and 35� years, men were more likely than women to lack health insurance coverage at the time of interview.

State-Level Estimates of Annual Medical Expenditures Attributable to Obesity (Press Release) (1/26/04)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r040121.htm
U.S. obesity-attributable medical expenditures reached $75 billion in 2003 and that taxpayers finance about half of these costs through Medicare and Medicaid. Total state-level expenditure estimates in 2003 dollars range from $87 million in Wyoming to $7.7 billion in California. An estimated 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight (33 percent) or obese (31 percent). Obesity has been shown to promote many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, and gallbladder disease.

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2003 Publications and Materials

Public Health and Aging: Nonfatal Injuries Among Older Adults Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments- United States, 2001
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5242a4.htm
PDF (p. 1019) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5242.pdf
To characterize nonfatal injuries among older adults, CDC analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate differences in type and mechanism of injury by sex, suggesting that prevention programs should be designed and tailored differently for men and women. During 2001, an estimated 935,556 men and 1,731,640 women aged >65 years were treated in EDs for nonfatal injuries. The overall injury rate per 100,000 persons was higher among women (8,466 per 100,000 persons) than among men (6,404). The most common (47%) location for nonfatal injuries was the home.

Public Health and Aging: Nonfatal Physical Assault-Related Injuries Among Persons Aged >60 Years Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments- United States, 2001
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5234a2.htm
PDF (p. 812) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5234.pdf
CDC analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program, which indicate that approximately 33,000 persons aged >60 years in the United States were treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs) for nonfatal assault-related injuries in 2001, with injuries occurring disproportionately among persons aged 60-69 years. The majority (55.4%) of adults aged >60 years who were examined in EDs were men. Older adults were at similar risk for being assaulted at home (25.9%) compared with a public area (27.5%). The types of injuries sustained were primarily contusion/abrasion (31.9%), laceration (21.1%), and fracture (12.7%). Compared with persons aged 20-59 years, a greater proportion of older assault victims were women, had fractures and were hospitalized at the time of diagnosis; however, these differences were not statistically significant.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Summary (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
pressroom/03news/agingvisits.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad337.pdf
This report presents practice characteristics of office-based physicians in the United States along with selected trends from 1992 and 1997 for both office visits and physician practice characteristics. As in previous years, females made the majority of office visits during 2001. The percent of visits was higher for females compared with males across all age groups except for persons under 15 years of age. Sex differences were also observed for visit rates between 15 and 64 years of age. Visits to obstetricians/gynecologists were more likely to be for preventive care (61.2 percent). In 2001, 89.2 percent of office visits with face-to-face contact between the physician and patient had a duration between 6 and 30 minutes. Overall, the mean time spent with a physician was 18.6 minutes.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Outpatient Department Summary (Fact Sheet)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/ad/331-340/ad338.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad338.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected hospital, clinic, patient, and visit characteristics. Selected highlights: Preventive care visits comprised 15.5 percent of all OPD visits; nearly three out of four preventive care visits were made by females (72.8 percent). The female visit rate for preventive care was twice that for males (6.6 visits per 100 females versus 2.6 per 100 males) because of the high utilization rate for females 15-24 years. A large proportion of the preventive care visits by females at ages 15-24 years and 25-44 years were pregnancy related, accounting for 51 and 32 percent of their visit rates, respectively. However, the differential in higher preventive care visit rates for females than males persisted through ages 15-44 years even after eliminating pregnancy-related visits.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Emergency Department Summary (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
pressroom/03news/ervisits.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad335.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. During 2001, an estimated 107.5 million visits were made to hospital EDs, about 38.4 visits per 100 persons. Trend data indicated that the ED utilization rate rose from 35.7 visits per 100 persons in 1992 to 38.4 visits per 100 persons in 2001 (up 8 percent), and the annual number of ED visits increased from 89.9 million to 107.5 million visits (up 20 percent). There were no differences in rates by sex within the various age groups with the exception of the 15�-year-old age category, where females had a higher rate. Males had a higher injury-related visit rate than females overall and for all age groups under 45 years. Because of hospitals either closing their EDs or going out of business, the number of operating EDs decreased by about 15 percent between 1992 and 2001, resulting in those EDs still open taking on an increasingly larger volume of patient encounters.

Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Hospital Discharges
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5204a1.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/ss/ss5204.pdf
Previous studies indicate that each year in the United States, approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Of those injured, approximately one quarter million are hospitalized. Approximately one third of adults hospitalized with TBI still need help with daily activities 1 year after their discharge. This report summarizes surveillance data for TBI in the United States for January-December 1997. The overall age-adjusted TBI-related live hospital discharge rate was 69.7/100,000 population. The age-adjusted rate for males was approximately twice as high as for females (91.9 versus 47.7/100,000 respectively). For both sexes, the rates were highest among those aged 15-19 years and >65 years. Motor-vehicle crashes, falls, and assaults were the leading causes of injury for TBI-related discharges (27.9, 22.5, and 7.3/100,000 respectively). TBI-related discharge rates for falls were highest among those aged >65 years (82.3/100,000). An estimated 46% of injured motor-vehicle occupants, 53% of motorcyclists, and 41% of pedal cyclists reportedly were not using personal protective equipment (e.g., seat belts or helmets) at the time of their TBI. With regard to outcome assessed before discharge from the hospital, approximately 17% of persons hospitalized with TBI had moderate to severe disability.

Public Health and Aging: Hospitalizations for Stroke Among Adults Aged >65 Years - United States, 2000
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5225a3.htm
PDF (p. 586) PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5225.pdf
This report summarizes the results of a CDC analysis of Medicare hospital claims for persons with stroke during 2000 for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report indicates that geographic variation exists in both rates of hospitalization for stroke and patient discharge status. During 2000, a total of 445,452 hospitalizations among Medicare enrollees were attributed to stroke, resulting in an age-adjusted rate of 16.3 per 1,000 enrollees. Stroke hospitalization rates increased with age and were higher among men than women and among blacks than whites. The majority of hospitalizations for stroke resulted in discharge to home (50.3%), followed by discharge to a skilled nursing facility (21.0%), discharge to another facility (19.6%), and death (8.7%). Higher proportions of women and blacks were discharged to either a skilled nursing facility or other facility than men or whites, respectively. Reducing the burden of stroke in the United States will require primary prevention and control of risk factors, public education, early evaluation and treatment of persons with acute stroke, and effective secondary prevention among persons living with stroke.

2001 National Hospital Discharge Survey (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/r030409.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad332.pdf
This report presents the most current nationally representative data on inpatient care in the United States. The National Hospital Discharge Survey is the principal source for national data on the characteristics of patients discharged from non-Federal short-stay hospitals. The 32.7 million patients in the nation抯 hospitals in 2001 had a much shorter stay on average (4.9 days) than patients hospitalized in 1970 (7.8 days). In 2001, as in earlier years, the most frequent reason for hospitalization was heart disease, accounting for 4.3 million discharges. Cardiovascular conditions were associated with a significant portion of the 41 million procedures performed on hospital inpatients in 2001. Males had more cardiovascular procedures than females (3.6 million versus 2.6 million), and females had more operations on the digestive system than males (3.0 million versus 2.3 million). About one-quarter of all procedures performed on females were obstetrical.

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2002 Publications and Materials

Trends in Medications in Office-Based Practices, 1985-99 (Press Release)
http://www.healthaffairs.org/press/julaug0203.htm (Non-CDC site)
A new study shows that physicians are prescribing medications to their patients at a far greater rate than they did just two decades ago. In fact, the prescription rate rose 34 percent between 1985 and 1999, from 109 to 146 prescriptions per 100 visits, according to a federal study in the journal Health Affairs. The increase in drug mentions (including prescription drugs, over-the-counter preparations and immunizations) cuts across all age groups and all physician specialties except general surgeons, cardiologists, and dermatologists. But six areas accounted for 80 percent of the increase in the overall drug mention rate: central nervous system drugs, hormones, respiratory drugs, pain relief drugs, metabolic/nutrients, and cardiovascular-renal drugs. Only about 20 percent of the observed increases can be attributed to an aging population.

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2000 Summary (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
pressroom/02news/physician.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad328.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits made to physician offices within the United States. Statistics are presented on selected characteristics of the physician抯 practice, the patient, and the visit. During 2000, an estimated 823.5 million visits were made to physician offices in the United States, an overall rate of 300.4 visits per 100 persons. Females made the majority of office visits during 2000. Both the visit percent as well as the visit rate for female patients were higher than for male patients in the age groups between 15 and 64 years. The most frequently cited examinations at office visits were skin (10.7 percent), visual acuity (7.3 percent), pelvic (7.2 percent), and breast (6.9 percent). Females were more likely than males to have their blood pressure checked at office visits, but the 2000 data show that there were a higher proportion of x rays ordered or provided at visits by males than by females. Also, females were more likely than males to have an ultrasound mentioned at office visits. In 2000, 89.8 percent of office visits with face-to-face contact between the physician and patient had a duration between 6 and 30 minutes in 2000. Overall, the mean time spent with a physician was 18.9 minutes.

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2000 Emergency Department Summary PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad326.pdf
This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected hospital, patient, and visit characteristics. There were no differences in rates by sex within the various age groups with the exception of the 15-24-year-old age category where females had a higher rate. From 1997 through 2000, increasing trends in visit rates for a primary diagnosis of chest pain or abdominal pain were found for women 45 years of age and over. From 1997 through 2000, ED utilization in the United States increased by 14 percent from 94.9 million to 108.0 million visits annually.

Patterns of Prescription Drug Use in the United States, 1988-94 PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/databriefs/preuse.pdf
The NHANES III data presented here provide information on patterns of prescription drug use in the U.S. population. There are differences by sex. Among those 18 years of age and under, patterns of use are similar for both boys and girls. Among persons 19-64 years of age, 14 percent of men use 2 or more prescription drugs as compared with 24 percent of women. Among persons 65 years of age and older, 49 percent of men use two or more prescription drugs as compared with 59 percent of women. Prescription drug use also varies by whether a person reports having health insurance. Nationwide spending on prescription drugs totaled $100 billion in 1999, more than twice what was spent in 1989. Overall, a majority (62 percent) of the U.S. population reports no prescription drug use; 18 percent use one prescription drug and 20 percent use two or more.

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2001 Publications and Materials

Utilization of Ambulatory Medical Care by Women: United States, 1997� (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/01news/newstudy.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_13/sr13_149.pdf
This report presents national estimates of the volume and characteristics of ambulatory medical care provided to women 15 years of age and over in the United States. Included is information on the characteristics of the patients, providers, and visits. A section on comparative differences in use by sex is also included.

1999 National Hospital Discharge Survey (Press Release)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/01news/99hospit.htm
PDF PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad319.pdf
The latest data on national trends in hospitalization show that the number of hospital discharges stabilized during the 1990's-after peaking in the early 1980's-but that the average length of a hospital stay continued to decline over the past decade. Women were hospitalized at a rate 45 percent higher than for men in 1999 (due in part to hospitalization for deliveries and other obstetric and gynecological diagnoses), but men had slightly longer hospital stays. Men had more cardiovascular procedures (particularly arteriography and angiocardiography, cardiac catheterization, removal of coronary artery obstruction and insertion of stents) than women, while women had higher rates of digestive surgery. About one-fourth of the operations on women were obstetrical procedures.

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Related Links

Health Care: Women抯 Health Topics A-Z
http://www.cdc.gov/women/az/hlthcare.htm
View women抯 health resources related to health care.

Fast Stats A-Z: Ambulatory Care Use/Physician Visits Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/docvisit.htm
View data and statisics on ambulatory care and physician visits.

Fast Stats A-Z: Health Care Topics- Health Expenditures, Health Insurance, Home Health Care, Hospice Care, Hospital Utilization
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/default.htm#H
View data and statistics on a variety of topics related to health care.

Health Topics: Heath Care Settings
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/a_z.htm
View a list of links to information on a variety of topics related to health care.

Issues in Health Care Settings
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/
Learn more about health care.

National Health Care Survey
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhcs.htm
The National Health Care Survey (NHCS) embraces a family of health care provider surveys, obtaining information about the facilities that supply health care, the services rendered, and the characteristics of the patients served.

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This page last reviewed August 31, 2007
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/women/pubs/hlthcare.htm

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