What is an inpatient? What is an outpatient?
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If you’ve ever needed treatment in hospital, you might have heard the words ‘inpatient’ or ‘outpatient’. See below for details.
OSHCstudents – If you’ve ever needed treatment in hospital, you might have heard the words ‘inpatient’ or ‘outpatient’. See below for details.
The main time you’ll notice the difference is how you pay for treatment. The table below gives you a summary of the difference between inpatients and outpatients.
| Inpatient | Outpatient | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition |
An inpatient is someone who has been ‘admitted’ to hospital for treatment as a doctor has assessed they need hospital care. At this point, you’ll usually have been assigned a bed in the ward, or a room. If you’re not sure whether you’re being admitted, check with your doctor. |
An outpatient is someone receiving medical treatment who hasn’t been ‘admitted’ to hospital. |
| Examples |
|
|
| Exceptions | Emergency room treatment. If you visit an emergency department for treatment, you can be ‘in’ hospital, without being admitted. | You could be admitted to hospital after receiving treatment in an emergency department. |
| Who pays for it | If you choose to be a public patient, Medicare does. As a private patient, your treatment is covered by a mix of:
|
Depending on your treatment and what you’re charged, Medicare might pay some or all the cost.
You pay the rest yourself. |
You are international students, foreigners arrive to Australia and Australian citizens traveling abroad are looking at OSHC, OVHC, travel insurance, please contact OSHCstudents Team at email: info@oshcstudents.com and our partners for further information and assistance.
OSHCstudents (source: Bupa)