National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery: 1994, 1995, 1996, and 2006

The National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS) was first conducted during the years 1994, 1995, and 1996 in response to the dramatic increase in the number of ambulatory surgery centers during the 1980's and early 1990's. The purpose of the first three years of the NSAS was to collect data on ambulatory (outpatient) surgery procedures performed in hospitals and free-standing ambulatory surgery centers in the United States. General demographic data pertaining to age, sex, and race were collected. Additionally, the 1994-1996 NSAS collected data on hospital diagnoses, outpatient procedures, the type of anesthesia used during the aforementioned outpatient procedures, and the payment methods for the procedures. Following a ten year hiatus, the NSAS was once again conducted in 2006. This iteration of the survey expands on the previous years' data collections. Like the 1994-1996 NSAS, the 2006 NSAS collected general demographic information on age and sex along with data on hospital diagnoses, outpatient procedures, and the type of anesthesia used during outpatient procedures. The 2006 NSAS collected additional data on patient symptoms, types of insurance, various time measures related to the medical procedures, and multiple measures pertaining to the status and health of the patients.