An Overview of Outpatient and Primary Care

Outpatient care can best be defined as care for someone who has come to a health facility for testing or treatment but does not occupy a bed overnight. There are many forms of treatment available as an outpatient, and one of those forms includes primary care. Primary care is care given by a provider and is the patient’s first contact with the health care system. Most importantly, it is the start of a continuing health care process.

There are three essential characteristics to outpatient and primary care: point of entry, coordination of care, and essential care. The beginning of health care services starts at the point of entry, and patients visit specialists mostly by referral. A referral helps eliminate procedures that are not needed and prevents over treatment of a patient. In addition to referrals, the health care provider also gives advice about various diagnoses and therapies, discusses treatment options, and provides continuing care to the patient. This is known as the coordination of care, and its purpose is to ensure continuity and comprehensiveness to a patient’s health care needs. Finally, essential care refers to the overall health in a population, not just the health of an individual who has access to health services. With these three elements of outpatient and primary care, it is easy to see why many people are turning more towards this type of health service.

As future health care providers, we understand that most of our patients will be of the elderly population. At this age, it is essential that outpatient and primary care be accessible, affordable, and of good quality. Most patients do not want to be kept in a hospital overnight unless it is absolutely necessary, and outpatient clinics make this possible.

Outpatient and primary care is truly community based and strives to be convenient and easily accessible to everyone. According to Shi and Singh, over half of the surgeries that had taken place in 1990 were performed in an outpatient setting, and by 2004, surgeries performed in outpatient facilities had risen from 16.3 percent to 63.3 percent (2008). Such a drastic increase in outpatient procedures can be explained by its accessibility. Insurance companies have begun to prefer outpatient services over inpatient services. New technology has allowed for services that don’t require a hospital stay, and many patients are comforted knowing that they won’t have to stay overnight at a hospital. Finally, physicians are becoming more specialized in certain procedures, and are therefore taking less time in performing these services.

Along with the convenience and accessibility of outpatient and primary care, services are focusing on basic, routine, and inexpensive care while using appropriate technology. Some people may argue that costs in health care are continually rising; however, a main purpose of primary care is to refer patients to more costly procedures only when it is necessary. Outpatient care is also less expensive than inpatient care due to a limited number of services required, and these services may include 24 hour care, weekend nurses, housekeeping, food, etc. It has also been shown that countries that are focused mainly on primary care achieve better health levels, higher satisfaction with health services, and lower costs overall.

Not only is outpatient and primary care being more accessible to patients and costing less, but the quality of health services offered have significantly increased. Some people may argue that the quality of treatment is less as an outpatient than as an inpatient. However, it is because of new diagnostic and treatment procedures that have allowed for outpatient clinics. Surgeries are less invasive, anesthetics are shorter-acting, and recovering time has declined dramatically. These advancements are just some of the reasons why outpatient clinics now exist.

Today, outpatient clinics are typically part of a larger medical center and emphasize the continuity of care. This type of care has expanded to multiple different branches of health care services including private practice, hospital-based services, home health care, and many more. The different services being offered give patients a choice in their health care, giving them independence and control, which are two key elements in the quality of life.

By Nicole Christian


References

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Carr, R. (2008). Outpatient clinic. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from
http://www.wbdg.org/design/outpatient.php.

Jecklin, R. (2009). Cost, access, and quality [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
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Robak, W. (2007). RAND study finds higher quality outpatient care greatly benefits
chronically ill patients. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://news.bio-
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Shi, L., & Singh D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America: a systems approach.
Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett.