At a glance
- Learn what steps you will take to participate in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) Health Center Component.
- You can complete the facility interview in about 45 minutes.
- You will then prepare and transfer your electronic health records.
Overview
Welcome to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) Health Center Component. You are a critical part of this important national survey to understand ambulatory medical care in the United States.
To learn more about why you should participate, visit our Why Participate page.
What to expect
If your health center is selected to participate, you will receive a welcome packet. The packet will include—
- A letter from the director of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- A list of frequently asked questions
A NAMCS interviewer will contact you by telephone to—
- Confirm receipt of the welcome packet
- Answer any questions you have about NAMCS and your health center’s participation
- Determine that your health center is eligible to participate
- Identify a health center official who can authorize participation
Note
Facility interview
The facility interview is usually completed by the health center director.
An interviewer from Booz Allen Hamilton will contact you by telephone to schedule the 45-minute facility interview. Select an interview day and time that work best for you.
During the interview, you will answer questions about your health center's characteristics, including what type of health center you are and how many visits you receive annually.
Patient records
Your health center must designate a staff member who will be responsible for submitting your electronic health records (EHRs).
Set-up
NAMCS staff and designated agents will provide assistance to help you get ready to submit your EHR data. This will include testing and validating transmission from your EHR system to the NAMCS system.
Your health center can receive a one-time set-up fee of up to $10,000. This fee helps your center prepare and submit your EHRs. The fee is paid in two installments of up to $5,000. The first fee will be paid after testing and validation of the system is complete. The second will be paid after your center has completed its annual EHR submission.
Transmission
After initial testing and validation, your health center will transmit a year's patient-level encounter data directly from your EHR system to the NAMCS system.
Participation is voluntary and your health center can stop participating at any time.
Participation disclosures
By participating, you consent to NCHS and other researchers using the data you provide. NCHS will remove all information that could identify you or your practice from all data and reports that it releases publicly.
NCHS will also provide limited access to restricted data through the NCHS Research Data Center. Restricted data files contain some identifiable information. Researchers can only access restricted data files for approved purposes.
We may also combine your information with other datasets that have some related variables to create a new dataset. Linking NAMCS data with other data results in datasets with more information that can be used to answer complex healthcare research questions. This process is strictly controlled and requires review and approval before any linked data is accessible through the NCHS Research Data Center.