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2012 survey finds older adults, women visit physician’s office most often

In 2012, rates of physician office visits among women and adults aged 65 years and older were higher than those of men and younger adults and children, according to a data brief from the CDC.

Researchers used data from the 2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) to assess trends in physician office visits by patient age, sex and state. Additionally, trends in private insurance as payment were examined.

Results demonstrated that approximately 929 million physician office visits were made in 2012.

Visit rates among women between the ages of 18 and 65 years was 57% higher compared with men of the same age. However, visits were not variable according to sex for patients under the age of 18 years or over the age of 65 years.

Among adults aged 65 years and older, visit rates were double that of patients aged 18 to 64 years and those aged 18 years and younger.

Rates of office visits among children aged 18 years and younger varied by state, ranging from 137 visits per 100 children in Mississippi to 330 visits per 100 children in Texas, according to the study. The estimates were calculated among the country’s 25 most populous states. The national rate for office visits among children was 232 visits per 100 children, according to the study. Both Mississippi and Missouri had lower-than-average rates of office visits among children. 

The national rate for office visits for adults aged 18 to 64 years was 264 visits per 100 patients in the nation’s 34 most populous states. Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington all had lower-than-average rates of office visits, while Connecticut, New Jersey and Tennessee all had higher-than-average rates.

Among adults aged 18 to 64 years, 66% of visits had private insurance as the expected payment source, but significant variation was seen among the 34 most populous states, ranging from 79% in Maryland to 53% in Arkansas and New York. – by Casey Hower