Outpatient services (COFOG-A 072)

A1C.139.

Outpatient services (COFOG-A 072) consists of government expenditure on outpatient services. This category covers medical, dental and paramedical services delivered to outpatients by medical, dental and paramedical practitioners and auxiliaries. These services are provided by hospitals to non-admitted patients. The services may be delivered at home, in individual or group consulting facilities, dispensaries or the outpatient clinics of hospitals and the like. Outpatients services include the medicaments, prostheses, medical appliances and equipment and other health related products supplied directly to outpatients by medical, dental and paramedical practitioners and auxiliaries. Medical, dental and paramedical services provided to in-patients by hospitals and the like are included in COFOG-A 073.

A1C.140.

Outpatient services (COFOG-A 072) is further classified into:

• general medical services (COFOG-A 0721);
• specialised medical services (COFOG-A 0722);
• dental services (COFOG-A 0723); and
• paramedical services (COFOG-A 0724).

A1C.141.

General medical services (COFOG-A 0721) includes the services provided by general medical clinics and general medical practitioners. General medical clinics are defined as institutions which chiefly provide outpatient services which are not limited to a particular medical specialty and which are chiefly delivered by qualified medical doctors. General medical practitioners do not specialise in a particular medical speciality. This category consists of:

• the provision of general medical services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of general medical services delivered by general medical clinics and general medical practitioners.

Includes: Outreach services.

Excludes: Services of medical analysis laboratories and x-ray centres (classified to paramedical services (COFOG-A 0724)).

A1C.142.

Specialised medical services (COFOG-A 0722) covers the services of specialised medical clinics and specialist medical practitioners. Specialised medical clinics and specialist medical practitioners differ from general medical clinics and general medical practitioners in that their services are limited to treatment of a particular condition, disease, medical procedure or class of patient. This category consists of:

• the provision of specialised medical services; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of specialised medical services delivered by specialised medical clinics and specialist medical practitioners.

Includes: Services of orthodontic specialists; accident and emergency services.

Excludes: Dental clinics and dentists (classified to dental services (COFOG-A 0723)); services of medical analysis laboratories and x-ray centres (classified to paramedical services (COFOG-A 0724)).

A1C.143.

Dental services (COFOG-A 0723) covers the services of general or specialist dental clinics and dentists, oral hygienists or other dental operating auxiliaries. Dental clinics provide outpatient services. They are not necessarily supervised or staffed by dentists; they may be supervised or staffed by oral hygienists or other dental auxiliaries. This category consists of:

• the provision of dental services to outpatients; and
• the administration, inspection, operation and support of dental services delivered by general or specialist dental clinics and by dentists, oral hygienists or other dental auxiliaries.

Includes: Fitting costs of dentures.

Excludes: Dentures (classified to therapeutic appliances and equipment (COFOG-A 0713)); services of orthodontic specialists (classified to specialised medical services (COFOG-A 0722)); services of medical analysis laboratories and x-ray centres (classified to paramedical services (COFOG-A 0724)).

A1C.144.

Paramedical services (COFOG-A 0724) consists of:

• the provision of paramedical health services to outpatients; and
• the administration, inspection, operation or support of health services delivered by clinics supervised by nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists or other paramedical personnel and of health services delivered by nurses, midwives and paramedical personnel in hospitals, non-consulting rooms, in patients' homes or other non-medical institutions.

Includes: Acupuncturists, chiropodists, chiropractors, optometrists, practitioners of traditional medicine, etc.; medical analysis laboratories and x-ray centres; hire of therapeutic equipment; medically prescribed corrective gymnastic therapy; outpatient thermal bath or seawater treatments.

Excludes: Public health service laboratories (classified to public health services (COFOG-A 0761)); laboratories engaged in determining the causes of disease (classified to research and development – health (COFOG-A 0771)).