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The ongoing health emergency that was triggered due to the Covid-19 infection reignited the importance of health insurance. While many people successfully recovered from the disease, certain post-Covid symptoms have continued to cause trouble. This called for several Outpatient department treatment (OPD) as well as day care treatments basis individual needs of concerned patients. Some people are in the habit of using the two terms interchangeably. This can cause some technical issues vis-a-vis health insurance policies.

What is OPD and daycare treatment?

OPD refers to a patient’s visit to a doctor for medications and routine check-ups. This doesn’t require hospitalisation. Meanwhile, daycare treatments require you to remain in the hospital for less than 24-hours. Here, the treatment is preceded by giving local/general anesthesia. Most health insurance plans include some form of daycare treatments but only a few provide coverage for OPD treatment.

Daycare treatments include treatments like dialysis, chemotherapy, cataract, radiation and tonsillectomy among others. A detailed list of all the daycare procedures covered in your health insurance in mentioned clearly in the policy documents and on the insurer’s website. One must go through it carefully to understand the limitations as well as facilities offered under their policy.

Difference between OPD & daycare?

While day care treatment and OPD treatment appear to be similar in nature due to lesser time required for the treatment, there are major differences between the two in terms of insurance benefits and coverage.

Day care treatment would require the patient to be hospitalised for a few hours even if the medical procedure takes lesser time. The expenses incurred against the same can easily be claimed with your health insurance provider. However, if the said day care treatment is done for an outpatient that does not require hospitalisation, the claim won’t be valid under day care procedures.

Due to several technological advancements, many treatments are executed in less than 24 hours and don’t demand any further hospitalisation. A cataract surgery is a good example that now finishes well within a day due to wonders of medical science combined with fast-paced technology. Insurers provide coverage for such short-duration treatments as per the terms and conditions of your policy.

In case of OPD treatments, there is no need for immediate hospitalisation. After availing OPD facilities, one can pay the bills and later file it for reimbursement if the policy offers the leverage. A regular consultation for viral fever or infection is a classic example of OPD treatments.

What you need to know

Prioritising your needs is the key to buying an effective health insurance policy. Evaluate what is more essential to you and choose a plan accordingly. Like mentioned above, not all policies offer coverage for OPD treatments. If you really need protection for such instances, make sure to pick a policy that does offer that kind of relief to you. Only if you understand your needs, you’ll be able to ask for the right solution.