Advance data
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This report presents Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores for adults, 60 years of age and over, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2002, and examines the association between the HEI scores and sex, age, race and ethnicity, education, smoking status, tooth retention, self-reported health, and body mass index (BMI). ⋯ This research demonstrates that many older adults' diets need improvement, and that many sociodemographic and health characteristics were associated with their intake of food and nutrient groups and overall dietary quality.
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This report presents the latest information on the use of electronic medical records in physician offices. Percentages of medical practices and physicians within the practices using electronic medical records (EMR) are presented for 2006 by selected physician and practice characteristics. ⋯ In 2006, 29.2 percent of office-based physicians reported using full or partial EMR systems, which represented a 22% increase since 2005 and a 60% increase since 2001, when the NAMCS began monitoring this technology. Starting in 2005, the NAMCS included questions about EMR system features that health information technology experts consider minimal for a comprehensive EMR, namely computerized orders for prescriptions, computerized orders for tests, reporting of test results (lab or imaging), and clinical notes. Based on these requirements, 12.4 percent of physicians surveyed used comprehensive EMR systems in 2006, a figure not significantly different from the 9.3 percent reported for 2005. From 2005 to 2006, the percentage of medical practices using full or partial EMR systems increased by 42% (from 18.3 to 25.9 percent), but the percentage of medical practices using a comprehensive EMR system did not change.
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This report presents national estimates of the use of nonfederal short-stay hospitals in the United States during 2005 and selected trend data. Numbers and rates of discharges, diagnoses, and procedures are shown by age and sex. Average lengths of stay are presented for all discharges and for selected diagnostic categories by age and by sex. ⋯ Trends in the utilization of nonfederal short-stay hospitals show that the overall average length of a hospital stay has declined significantly. In 2005, the average length of stay for all inpatients was 4.8 days compared with 7.8 days in 1970. Stays for discharges aged 15-44, 45-64 and 65 years and over also declined, but the average lengths of stay for those under 15 years of age were the same in 1970 and 2005. In 2005, there were an estimated 34.7 million hospital discharges, excluding newborn infants. Persons aged 65 years and over comprised 38 percent of all inpatients. One notable trend for elderly people is that their rate of hospitalization for septicemia increased 47 percent from 2000 to 2005. There were 45 million procedures performed on inpatients during 2005. Obstetrical procedures (6.9 million) comprised 25 percent of all procedures performed on females. Cesarean section (18 percent), repair of current obstetric laceration (18 percent), and artificial rupture of membranes (14 percent) accounted for one-half of all obstetrical procedures. Males had more cardiovascular procedures than females (4.1 million compared with 2.9 million), whereas females had more operations on the digestive system than males (3.2 million compared with 2.4 million).
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This report describes ambulatory care visits to hospital outpatient departments (OPDs) in the United States. Statistics are presented on selected hospital, patient, and visit characteristics. Selected trends in OPD utilization from 1995 to 2005 are also presented. ⋯ During 2005, an estimated 90.4 million visits were made to hospital OPDs in the United States, about 31.0 visits per 100 persons. Females (37.2 per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than males (24.7 visits per 100 persons), and black or African-American persons (56.8 visits per 100 persons) had higher OPD visit rates than white persons (28.3 visits per 100 persons). Visit rates to OPD clinics for preventive care were highest for children under 1 year of age (43.1 per 100 persons). Almost one-half of OPD visits (46.1 percent) were made by patients with one or more chronic conditions. Hypertension was the most frequent chronic condition listed (19.7 percent). Visits with asthma declined with increasing age. From 1995 to 2005, the following visit characteristics changed: The visit rate for children under 15 years of age increased by 38%, the percentage of visits made by adults 18 years and over with depression indicated on the medical record increased by 48%; visits by adults with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension increased by 24%, 34%, and 43%, respectively; visits with counseling for tobacco use increased from 2.7 to 3.8 percent; visits with counseling for diet and nutrition increased from 9.4 to 15.7 percent; and visits with 6 or more medications prescribed or provided more than doubled, from 4.9 to 11.2 percent.
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This report presents statistics on ambulatory care visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments (OPDs), and hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States in 2005. Ambulatory medical care utilization is described in terms of patient, practice, facility, and visit characteristics. ⋯ Patients in the United States made an estimated 1.2 billion visits to physician offices and hospital OPDs and EDs, a rate of 4.0 visits per person annually. Between 1995 and 2005, population visit rates increased by about 20% in primary care offices, surgical care offices, and OPDs; 37% in medical specialty offices; and 7% in EDs. The aging of the population has contributed to increased volume of visits because older patients have higher visit rates. Visits by patients 40-59 years of age represented about 28.5 percent in 2005, compared with 23.9 percent in 1995. Black persons had higher visit rates than white persons to hospital OPDs and EDs, but lower visit rates to office-based primary care and to surgical and medical specialists. In the ED, the visit rate for patients with no insurance was about twice that of those with private insurance; whereas for all types of office-based care, the visit rates were higher for privately insured persons than for uninsured persons. About 29.4 percent of all ambulatory care visits were for chronic diseases and 25.2 percent were for preventive care, including checkups, prenatal care, and postsurgical care. The leading treatment provided at ambulatory care visits was medicinal with 71.3 percent of all visits having one or more medications prescribed, up by 10% since 1995 when encounters with drug therapy represented 64.9 percent of all visits. In 2005, 2.4 billion medications were prescribed or administered at these visits.