US Medical Term · procedures
Outpatient Care
Atención Ambulatoria
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Outpatient Care |
| Spanish (Español) | Atención Ambulatoria |
| Chinese (中文) | 门诊治疗 |
| Korean (한국어) | 외래 치료 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Chăm sóc ngoại trú |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Outpatient Care |
| Portuguese (Português) | Atendimento Ambulatorial |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | การรักษาผู้ป่วยนอก |
| Japanese (日本語) | 外来治療 |
What it means
Outpatient care includes any medical treatment, procedure, or visit where the patient does not require an overnight hospital stay. This includes doctor office visits, same-day surgery, emergency room visits, urgent care, imaging, and laboratory tests. Outpatient care is generally subject to different cost-sharing than inpatient: under Medicare, outpatient services fall under Part B rather than Part A, which has different deductibles and coinsurance. Many procedures that previously required hospitalization are now done on an outpatient basis.
Related terms
Related guide
→ US Guide: how us health insurance worksSources
Last reviewed: September 2026