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For more information, contact the Ambulatory and Hospital Care Statistics Branch at  (301) 458-4321.


National Survey of

Ambulatory Surgery

bullet graphicWhat is the NSAS?

bullet graphicNew for 2006

bullet graphicSurvey Instruments

bullet graphicData Utilization and Dissemination

bullet graphicProfessional Endorsements

bullet graphicContact Information

What is the NSAS?

The National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS) is the only national study of ambulatory surgical care in hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The NSAS was first conducted from 1994 to 1996, but it was discontinued due to lack of resources. The NSAS was conducted again in 2006.

Efforts are now underway to include ambulatory surgery centers in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).  Hospital-based ASCs will be aded to the scope of the NHAMCS beginning in 2009, and freestanding ASCs will be added in 2010.  The NHAMCS website provides more information on the efforts.

Data for the NSAS was collected for approximately 52,000 ambulatory surgery cases from a nationally representative sample of hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers.

These data are used for a variety of planning, administrative and evaluation activities by government, professional, scientific, academic, and commercial institutions, as well as by private citizens.

Changes for 2006

After nearly ten years of being out of the field, the NSAS data collection instruments were updated to reflect the changing environment in ambulatory surgery. Outside experts from the American College of Surgeons, American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (AAASC), the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesiologists (SAMBA), the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA), and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) provided input into updating the data collection tools used for NSAS.

Many of the new questions that were asked in the 2006 NSAS were about the facility in which the ambulatory surgery is being conducted. Each sampled facility was asked to complete a Facility Questionnaire and return it in the mail.

NSAS Survey Instruments

bullet graphicFacility Questionnaire Click here to open PDF file 166 KB

bullet graphicMedical Abstract Form Click here to open PDF file 105 KB

Data Utilization and Dissemination

bullet graphicHow are NSAS data used?

NSAS data are used to provide statistics that describe the characteristics of ambulatory surgical visits to hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers. These include

bullet imagepatient demographic characteristics

bullet imagesource of payment

bullet imageinformation on anesthesia given

bullet imagediagnoses

bullet imagesurgical and non-surgical procedures of patients visiting hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers.

These data are used by the U.S. Congress and other public health policy makers, government agencies, universities and medical schools, professional associations, health services researchers and epidemiologists, as well as the print and broadcast media, to describe and understand the changes that occur in medical care. The data are disseminated in the form of public health reports, journal articles, and microdata files and can be seen is a listing of selected articles using the NSAS and NHDS.

bullet graphicHow are NSAS data released?

Data for the 2006 NSAS will be released several ways. Summary data from the 2006 NSAS will be available in reports from the National Center for Health Statistics. In addition, reports that combine data on ambulatory surgery and surgery performed on hospital inpatients during 2006 will also be published.  Reports on topics of special interest may also be published.  Information will also be published in journal articles and in papers presented at professional meetings. As resources permit, special tabulations and analyses will be provided to both public and private data requestors. Published reports on the 1994-1996 NSAS are viewable from the site.

In addition to published reports on NSAS, a public-use micro data file and supporting documentation will be prepared for distribution at professional society meetings, health data conferences, and through the NCHS website. NSAS data will also available on CD-ROM. Identification of facilities and patients cannot be made from the public-use data files.

Annual public use files containing information collected by the NSAS were made available for the 1994-1996 NSAS and will be made available for the 2006 NSAS. To facilitate trend analyses, multi-year public use files of NSAS data in a standard format with standard definitions across survey years was and will be made available. CD-ROMs for 1994-1996 in ASCII format are currently available to the public, and 2006 NSAS data will also be available in this format.

Microdata files for the 1994-1996 and 2006 NSAS can be downloaded.

Data documentation for the 1994-1996 and 2006 NSAS can be downloaded.

Professional Endorsements

"I can’t think of a more important way for an ASC professional to spend [their] time. In the face of increasing legislative and regulatory challenges to our industry, our ability to produce the kind of data this survey is collecting is growing. When you participate in surveys such as this one, you help the whole ASC industry as well as your own ASC." -- Jack Egnatinsky, MD, President, Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA)

The article on NSAS that appeared in the January/February 2006 issue of FASA Update is available.

NSAS is endorsed by the following professional organizations:

bullet graphicAmerican Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Click here to open PDF file 31 KB

bullet graphicAmerican College of Surgeons Click here to open PDF file 22 KB

bullet graphicAmerican Health Information Management Association Click here to open PDF file 29KB

bullet graphicAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology Click here to open PDF file 34 KB

bullet graphicFederated Ambulatory Surgery Association Click here to open PDF file 17 KB

bullet graphicSociety for Ambulatory Anesthesia Click here to open PDF file 34 KB

Contact Information

If you have any further questions or comments related to participation, please contact:

National Center for Health Statistics
Ambulatory and Hospital Care Statistics Branch
3311 Toledo Road, Room 3332
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
Phone: 301-458-4321
Fax: 301-458-4032
National Hospital Discharge and Ambulatory Surgery Data home page

 

NCHS Home | NHDS description | NSAS description | News Releases
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Search NCHS | Contact us
For more information, contact the Ambulatory and Hospital Care Statistics Branch at (301) 458-4321.


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This page last reviewed November 26, 2008

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
Hyattsville, MD
20782

1-800-232-4636