At a glance
- Learn what steps you will take to participate in National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS).
- The NAMCS Provider Survey Component takes about 30-minutes to complete.
- You can complete the survey online or using a paper questionnaire.
About
Welcome to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) Provider Survey 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
You will receive an invitation to participate via a letter from the director of the National Center for Health Statistics. You also will receive an introductory email. The initial invitation letter provides instructions for completing the Provider Survey online.
Depending on when you complete the survey, you may receive additional emails, letters, or a survey packet with a paper version of the questionnaire.
NAMCS Provider Survey Component data will be analyzed and shared in scientific reports, data files, and other resources.
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Accessing the survey
Login ID and password
To access the online survey, you will need your unique Login ID and password from your invitation letter. See the box where you will find your Login ID and password in this sample letter.
If you have lost the invitation letter you received, you will be able to find the credentials you need in future NAMCS correspondence.
We will include your unique Login ID and password in the follow-up letter and paper questionnaire we send to those who haven't completed the survey yet. You can wait to complete the survey using the paper questionnaire if you prefer.
Completing the survey
The provider survey takes—on average—about 30 minutes to complete.
Typically, the provider invited to participate completes the survey. Alternatively, if you are the selected provider, you can designate a knowledgeable member of your office staff to complete the survey on your behalf.
Participating in NAMCS is voluntary. You may stop participating at any time.
If you do not feel comfortable answering or cannot answer a specific question, you can skip that question. There are some critical questions that you are encouraged to answer because they provide important, foundational information. These will be identified on the paper questionnaire and the web survey will alert you if you leave one blank.
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.