This article defines outpatient insurance singapore and what services are generally if. We will also review some of the main types of outpatient care, including primary care clinics, home, school, and employer health care, and outpatient services provided in hospitals.
What is outpatient service?
Sarah is a 58-year-old woman who drove on the street late when an approaching driver collided with her car. He suffered multiple fractures in his right leg and multiple fractures in his ribs. An ambulance took Sarah to the hospital, where she underwent several operations, and after a month of rehabilitation, she was sent home. If these incidents occurred 50 years ago, Sarah might spend more time and possibly more money in the hospital. But since then, many changes have taken place in healthcare, allowing a lot of patient care outside of the hospital environment. This is called outpatient care.
Outpatient care includes medical procedures, tests, and services provided to patients in an environment that does not involve staying overnight. These services include:
- Health and prevention services, such as counselling and weight loss programs
- Diagnostic services, such as blood and urine tests, X-rays, and brain scans, such as MRI and CATS
- Treatment, such as certain surgeries and chemotherapy; AND
- Rehabilitation, such as physical therapy
Outpatient type of care
When patients are sick, injured, or require specialized tests or treatments but do not require monitoring or overnight hospital care, they usually receive the medical care they need in an outpatient setting. This is also called outpatient care. Primary care physicians, community health clinics, emergency care clinics, speciality clinics, pharmacies, and emergency rooms are examples of ambulatory care settings.
A primary care clinic is where patients receive consultations from a primary care physician (or PCP). Primary care physicians generally act as gatekeepers and coordinators, directing patients to other, more specialized medical care, but only when necessary.
Community health clinics provide primary care services for patients with limited access to medical care.
Urgent Care Center is an outpatient clinic that provides medical services for patients who need immediate treatment of illness and injury. Specialist outpatient clinics provide patient care and radiation therapy in an outpatient cancer centre.
It is also called the emergency room (or ER). If you have watched TV shows, you may be familiar with this acronym. The emergency room is usually in a hospital but is technically classified as outpatient care.