Expenditures for Ambulatory Medical Services in Hospital and Physician OfficeSettings: Findings from the National Medical Expenditure Survey

摘要

This report from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey provides nationalestimates of 1987 visits to hospital outpatient departments, emergency departments, and physician offices, including freestanding clinics, by the civilian noninstitutionalized population. The estimates are designed to permit comparison of average visit charges as well as the percent of ambulatory visits for each site of care by selected population characteristics and main reason for the visit. Overall, 12.8 percent of ambulatory care contacts in 1987 occurred in hospital outpatient departments and 5.4 percent in hospital emergency departments. Average expenses per visit to the hospital outpatient department and emergency room were $308 and $198, respectively, compared to $56 for physician office visits. These findings are made available for public use to provide baseline estimates for the mid-1980s on a number of topics relevant to recent changes in the delivery of services.