Inpatient Care
Health services delivered to patients who are admitted and stay overnight in a hospital or facility, including surgery, monitoring, and recovery. It contrasts with the same-day outpatient model used by ambulatory surgery centers and clinics.
What is inpatient care?
Inpatient care is the set of health services delivered to patients who are admitted and remain overnight in a hospital or facility. It typically includes surgery, continuous monitoring, treatment, and recovery support provided over the course of the stay.
This model is suited to conditions and procedures that require sustained observation, complex management, or a longer recovery than a single day allows. The patient stays under the care of the facility's staff until they are stable enough to be discharged.
How does inpatient care differ from the ASC model?
Inpatient care stands in contrast to the same-day, outpatient model used by ambulatory surgery centers and clinics, where patients arrive, are treated, and go home the same day. The defining difference is the overnight admission and the higher acuity it usually reflects.
Understanding this distinction matters because procedures and patients are increasingly sorted between settings based on risk and recovery needs. Many cases once handled only as inpatient care have shifted to ambulatory settings, while the most complex cases remain inpatient.
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