A health facility receives patients who can either be admitted or allowed to go home. A health facility
that accepts patients is referred as an inpatient while a facility that allows the patient to go home after
the procedures is called outpatient health care. This paper will look at the operational differences
between the outpatient and the inpatient health care.
One of the differences is that the inpatient stays in the hospital after a formal admission by the doctor.
The doctor writes an order for admission for that particular patient. A doctor may feel that it is
necessary for a patient to remain in the health facility for various reasons. On the other hand, the
outpatient healthcare receives the patients, and after the procedures, the patient goes back at home.
Patients who are admitted to the inpatient health facilities are covered under part A of Medicare of U.S
insurance plan. Part A of the Medicare caters for a semi-private room, meals, general nursing care, and
miscellaneous hospital services for up to 60 days. For the inpatient facility, the patients are covered by
part B of the U.S medical insurance.
Cost of medicine is the other difference. In the outpatient, health care the patients pay for themselves
of the Medicare part d does not cover the drugs prescribed. On the contrast, the inpatient pays for the
drugs under the Medicare part A.
Follow up services is also a notable difference between the inpatient and the outpatient health care. In
the inpatient health care, the patient who stays in the facility for more than three days is eligible for
rehabilitation services that may include occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physiotherapy. On
the hand, the outpatient does not qualify unless the pay for the services offered from their pockets. The
patient can only receive few rehab sessions under part B of the Medicare. The services given here do not
include meals, housekeeping or attendant services.
