A medical clinic is an outpatient health care facility which is mostly focused on the treatment of patients who require outpatient care. Outpatient care is generally applicable to those who visit the clinic for a routine medical examination or for specific treatment. Clinics may be privately run or publicly funded and managed. The cost of treatment varies according to the services provided by the clinic. They differ from center to center and the nature of services offered.Many medical clinics offer different kinds of services to meet the varying needs of their patients. These include dental services, annual exams, vision care, pediatric services, gynecological services, blood transfusions, and surgery. Some specialize in certain medical conditions while others are specialized in outpatient services only.Community Health Centers are usually neighborhood locations that provide low cost primary and specialty care as well as preventative services.
Most community health centers have been established as community development projects. They tend to serve a lower income section of the community. Clinics at such facilities tend to treat each person individually. This makes it possible for them to keep costs down to a minimum. Most community health centers also coordinate the health services of other providers such as schools, day care centers, hospices and rehabilitation centers.A preventive health care clinic offers a wide range of general health care services. The scope of services offered is determined by the policy of the organization. The goal of preventive health care at such a clinic is to reduce the occurrence of diseases by providing education about the disease and by offering preventive services.
Primary care services at such a clinic provide vaccinations, diagnose diabetes, perform physical exams, prescribe medications, and perform minor surgery. Some primary care clinics may focus on specialized treatments or on both primary care and specialist services. They also provide referrals to other medical clinics. In the case of a referral, the physician at the primary care services would make the referral to another clinic. Either way, primary care clinics offer a high level of quality medical care.Some medical clinics provide specialized services. One such service is an emergency room. The emergency room may be the primary treatment facility or it may have some special function in relation to the rest of the facility. For example, in an urgent situation, the emergency room staff may have authority to admit patients with an acute physical condition, whereas other medical services would call in other specialists. Such specialized services are usually available only at major hospitals.