Ambulatory Visits

Persons with musculoskeletal diseases account for a large and growing share of health care utilization. In any given year, about 85% of persons with musculoskeletal diseases have at least one ambulatory care visit to a physician’s office, averaging just under six such visits per year. Between 1996 to 1998 and 2009 to 2011, ambulatory physician visits for these individuals increased from 425.5 million to 574.0 million. Growth in the number of persons with musculoskeletal diseases, rather than an increase in the number of visits by individuals, is primarily responsible for this increase. (Reference Table 10.2 PDF [1] CSV [2])