IPD and OPD in Medical Insurance Terms
IPD
Hospital Inpatient care (IPD) requires that you have a medical problem that is serious enough for a doctor to admit you into the hospital for an overnight stay. (Some insurance companies allow you to be released after 6 hours; others require you to stay longer. In any case, the insurance company pays for a full overnight stay.)
While you are in the hospital the insurance company pays for your room & board & nursing care, as well as surgery costs, and one doctor visit to you per day. Most importantly, though, they pay for "Hospital General Expenses" - which includes just about everything required for your medical treatment not included elsewhere.
This can quickly become the costliest part of your hospital bill. Outpatient Follow-up Care (the medical treatment to follow up after discharge from the hospital) is normally covered under "Hospital General Expenses."
OPD
Hospital Outpatient care (OPD) is optional with most insurance policies. OPD allows you to walk into the hospital and visit a doctor for any medical reason, no matter how minor. Because of this ease of use, OPD tends to be costlier for the benefit it provides. For this reason, and because of the low cost of doctor visits in Thailand, most insureds choose not to take this option.
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