National Health Care Surveys Geocodes

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The following table lists the geographic variables in the various National Health Care Surveys. When applying for access to this data through the RDC, please specify the variable description (or variable name listed in parentheses, where applicable) in your data dictionary.

In addition to what is listed below, there are geocoded data for NAMCS and NHAMCS 1999-2009. These data consist of distances between each patient’s ZIP Code of residence and the nearest hospital [PDF – 156 KB] and Federally Qualified Health Center [PDF – 136 KB]. No geocode-level data are available for the NAMCS Health Center Component, but scrambled strata are available in the RDC.

National Health Care Survey’s public-use and restricted geocodes table

 

Survey

Year

Public-Use Variable Descriptions

Restricted-Use Variable Descriptions
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) Provider Component 2020–2025 Geographic region (of the physician’s interview office and where most visits were sampled)

MSA or non-MSA location (of the physician’s interview location)

Urban–rural location (county based) of physician (6-category code based on NCHS Urban–Rural Classification)

 Geographic region (of the physician’s interview office and where most visits were sampled)

MSA or non-MSA location (of the physician’s interview location)

FIPS state and county code

Physician ZIP code

Urban–rural location (county based) of physician (6-category code based on NCHS Urban–Rural Classification)

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)

 1973-2021 Geographic region (of the physician’s interview location) MSA or non-MSA location (of the physician’s interview location) (all years except 1989)

State identifier (for location of physician’s office where most visits were sampled) for varying numbers of targeted states ranging from 34 in 2012 to 16 in 2015 (2012-2015)

Census division (for location of physician’s office where most visits were sampled) (2012-2015)

Urban-rural location of patient residence (5-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification) (2006-2011)

Patient-level geocode data were not collected in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions

 Geographic region (of the physician’s interview location)MSA or non-MSA location (of the physician’s interview location) (all years except 1989)

State identifier (for location of physician’s office where most visits were sampled) for varying numbers of targeted states ranging from 34 in 2012 to 16 in 2015 (2012-2015)

Census division (2012-2015)

Urban-rural location of patient residence (6-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification) (2006-2011)

Urban-rural location of physician (6-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification) (2006-current)

FIPS state code for physician interview location (for 2012-2015, also include codes for office where most visits collected and the sampled visit)

FIPS county code for physician interview location (for 2012-2015, also include codes for office where most visits collected and the sampled visit)

Patient ZIP Code (except 1973-1985, 1991-1994, 1997-1998)

Physician ZIP Code

 

Restricted files prior to 1993 may not be available for release.

Patient-level geocode data were not collected in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)

 1992-2022 Emergency Departments and Outpatient Departments Geographic region of the hospital MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital

Urban-rural location of patient residence (5-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification) (2006-2010)

 Geographic region of hospital MSA or non-MSA location of hospital

Urban-rural location of patient residence (6-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification) (2006-2011)

Urban-rural location of hospital (6-category code based on NCHS Urban-Rural Classification); (2006-current)

FIPS state code for hospital location

FIPS county code for hospital location

Patient ZIP Code (except 1992-1994, 1997-1998)

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)

 2012-2017 Emergency Departments Geographic region of the hospital MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital (except 2012)

State identifier of hospital for 5 targeted states (2012)

  

Hospital ZIP Code

All of the above
National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRCF) 2010 MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital Geographic region of hospitals

State identifier

FIPS county-level state code for facilities

MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital

National Study of Long-term Care Providers (NSLTCP)/ National Post-acute and Long-term Study (NPALS)

 2012–2018 NSLTCP, 2020–2025 NPALS inpatient and rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital Geographic region of hospitals

State identifier

FIPS county-level state code for facilities

MSA or non-MSA location of the hospital

National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS)

 1994-1996, 2006 Geographic Region Patient Zip Code

Facility Zip Code

Urban-Rural Classification

 

National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)

 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996 Geographic region of the visit
MSA or non-MSA location of the visit		 Patient Zip Code

National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS)

 1996-1999 Geographic Region Patient Zip Code

National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) 2000-2007 Geographic Region Patient Zip Code
Hospital Zip Code or County FIPS

National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS)

 1996-1999 Geographic Region Patient Zip Code

National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS)

 2000-2007 Geographic Region Patient Zip Code
Hospital Zip Code or County FIPS

National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS)

 1995 Geographic Region

National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS)

 1997, 1999 Geographic Region County FIPS
State FIPS

National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS)

 2004 Geographic Region County FIPS
State FIPS
Nursing Home Zip

National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS)

 1995 Geographic Region

National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS)

 1997, 1999 Geographic Region County FIPS
State FIPS

National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS)

 2004 Geographic Region County FIPS
State FIPS
Nursing Home Zip

National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS)

 1996, 1998 Region (AQREGION)
MSA of non-MSA (AQSMSA)		 County FIPS
State FIPS

National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS)

 2000,2007 Region (REGION)
MSA or non-MSA		 County FIPS
State FIPS

National Home Health Aide Survey (NHHAS)

 1996, 1998 Region (AQREGION)
MSA of non-MSA (AQSMSA)		 County FIPS
State FIPS

National Home Health Aide Survey (NHHAS)

 2000,2007 Region (REGION)
MSA or non-MSA		 County FIPS
State FIPS

National Employer Health Insurance Survey

 1994 Region (GEOREG)
MSA or non-MSA		 State Postal Code (SMPWT STATE)
FIPS State Code (FIPS_ST)
State Number (STATENUM)
Metropolitan Area Code (SMPWT MACODE)
Recode for Metropolitan Area (MACODERE)
Census Division (SENSUSRE)

National Health Provider Inventory (NHPI)

 1991 State FIPS
County FIPS