Description
For SAQ persons ages 18 and older (SAQELIG) and children ages 0 to 17, VISITYRNO indicates the number of times the respondent went to a doctor's office or clinic to get health care for themselves in the last 12 months, not counting times they went to an emergency room.
Beginning in 2018 VISITYRNO is fielded every other year and will only be collected in odd years. See our user note for more details on this and other changes that occurred in 2018.
IPUMS MEPS reports the universe for each variable based on a thorough review of the original MEPS documentation. Investigating the data may reveal cases that do not meet the stated universe. Users are encouraged to validate universes for their analyses.
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
VISITYRNO is part of the health plan version of Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS). CAHPS is a family of survey instruments sponsored by AHRQ that are designed to measure patient experience with health care by assessing whether actions that should happen in a health care setting actually happened and how often they happened. For more information on the CAHPS survey instruments, please see AHRQ's website. In addition to VISITYRNO, other questions included on the MEPS from CAHPS are:
- ADRTCR: Made appt for non-emergency medical care: last 12 months
- ADRTWW: Got appt when wanted for non-emergency medical care: last 12 months
- ADILCR: Illness/injury/condition needing immediate care: last 12 months
- ADILWW: Got immediate care when needed: last 12 months
- ADNDCR: Needed care, tests, or treatment: last 12 months
- PROBGTCR: How much of a problem getting necessary care: last 12 months
- ADEGMC: How often easy to get care, tests, or treatment: last 12 months
- ADLIST: How often doctors listen: last 12 months
- ADEXPL: How often doctors explain: last 12 months
- ADRESP: How often doctors show respect: last 12 months
- ADPRTM: How often doctors spend enough time: last 12 months
- ADHECR: Rating of all health care received: last 12 months
- ADSPEC: Needed to see a specialist: last 12 months
- PROBGTSP: How much of a problem seeing specialist: last 12 months
- ADESSP: How often easy to see specialist: last 12 months
For adults ages 18 and older, VISITYRNO is part of the Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ), a pencil-and-paper survey. See SAQELIG for more information on the SAQ.
For children ages 0 to 17, VISITYRNO was asked on the Parent Administered Questionnaire, a pencil-and-paper survey, in 2000. For 2001 forward, VISITYRNO is part of the Child Preventive Health Supplement. See LESSHLTHY for more information on the Child Preventive Health Supplement.
Codes and Frequencies
Comparability
The change in mode of administration for children ages 0 to 17 from a self-administered questionnaire in 2000 to an interviewer administered questionnaire in 2001 forward may produce slightly different estimates in 2000 compared to later years. For adults ages 18 and older, VISITYRNO is part of a self-administered questionnaire for all years. There are no other comparability issues.
Universe
- 2000-2017; 2019; 2021: SAQ persons ages 18 and older and children ages 0-17.
Availability
- 2000-2017, 2019, 2021
