National Hospital Ambulatory Medical
Care Survey: 1994 Outpatient Department Summary
Advance Data 276. In
1994 an estimated 66.3 million visits were made to Outpatient Departments (OPDs) of
non-Federal, short-stay, or general hospitals in the United States, about 25.6 visits per
100 persons. This report presents data on OPD visits from the 1994 National Hospital
Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
Data Highlights:
Females made 61.2 percent of all OPD
visits and had a higher visit rate (30.5 visits per 100 persons) than males (20.4 visits
per 100 persons).
White persons made 74.9 percent of
OPD visits, with black persons and Asian or Pacific Islanders accounting for 22.8 and 1.9
percent respectively. The visit rate for black persons was significantly higher than for
white persons overall and in all age categories, except the under 15 years of age and 75
years of age and over categories.
Progress visits, general medical
examinations, and routine prenatal examinations were the most frequently mentioned reasons
for visits.
Routine chest x-ray and pap smear
were among the procedures most often performed.