The rate of hospital outpatient visits remained relatively flat in the ten year period from 1997 to 2007, according an analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics' "National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2007 Outpatient Department Summary" by the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Hospital outpatient departments — which reached 88.9 million in 2007 — accounted for 7 percent of all ambulatory visits, the same rate of visits in 1997.
Other findings of the report include:
• Females had higher OPD visit rates (36.7 per 100 persons) than males (23.0 visits per 100 persons).
• Black or African-American persons (58.4 visits per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than Caucasians (26.5 visits per 100 persons).
• About one-third of all OPD visits (33.2 percent) were made by patients having Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program as an expected source of payment.
Read the HFMA report on hospital outpatient visit rates.
Read the full NCHS report here (pdf).
Hospital outpatient departments — which reached 88.9 million in 2007 — accounted for 7 percent of all ambulatory visits, the same rate of visits in 1997.
Other findings of the report include:
• Females had higher OPD visit rates (36.7 per 100 persons) than males (23.0 visits per 100 persons).
• Black or African-American persons (58.4 visits per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than Caucasians (26.5 visits per 100 persons).
• About one-third of all OPD visits (33.2 percent) were made by patients having Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program as an expected source of payment.
Read the HFMA report on hospital outpatient visit rates.
Read the full NCHS report here (pdf).