Ambulatory care is a personal health care provided to an individual outside of a typical hospital setting. Visits to ambulatory facilities can range from routine, scheduled, emergent or urgent cases requiring specialized care. Strong economic incentives are encouraging healthcare systems to divert a large portion of complex diagnostic procedures to ambulatory facilities. Ambulatory services vary from outpatient services to immediate treatment and care for patients suffering from acute and serious illnesses as well as injuries.
Ambulatory services cater to fee-for-service medical practice, prepaid group practice plans, urgency care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and mental health clinics among others. Ambulatory centers employ almost similar healthcare professionals as inpatient care. Doctors, physical therapy assistants, registered nurses, surgical technicians, LPN (licensed practical nurse), medical lab technicians and medical administration staff work in an ambulatory facility. Nurses working in an ambulatory care setting are known as ambulatory care nurses.