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Study: Ambulatory visits up 31% since 1994

Physician Practice Advisor, July 5, 2006

More than 1.1 billion people visited ambulatory healthcare facilities (e.g., doctors' offices, hospital emergency and outpatient departments, etc.) in 2004, an increase of 31% since 1994, according to a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics.

A portion of the increase was due to an 11% rise in population during the 10-year period, in addition to a 19% increase in utilization per person. Roughly half of the visits were to primary-care doctors in office-based practices. Another 18% were to medical specialists, 16% to surgical specialists, and 10% to emergency departments.

Pysicians spent the same amount of time with patients during office visits from 1994 to 2004, approximately 16 minutes, but the wait to see a physician in an emergency department increased from 38 minutes in 1997 to 47 minutes in 2004.

Click here to access the report.

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