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ContextThe US primary care safety net is composed of a loose network of community health centers, hospital outpatient departments, and physicians' offices. National data on how the mix of patients and services differ across sites are needed.ObjectiveTo develop and contrast national profiles of patient and service mix for primary care.Design, Setting, and PatientsComparative analyses of 3 national surveys of primary care visits occurring in 1994: for data on physician's office visits, the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS); for hospital outpatient department data, the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survery (NHAMCS); and for data on community health centers, the Bureau of Primary Health Care's 1994 Survey of Visits to Community Health Centers. A time trend analysis also was conducted using the 1998 NAMCS and NHAMCS.Main Outcome MeasuresNational estimates of primary care …