Outpatient care NMDS

The scope of this National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) is for services provided to non-admitted, non-emergency patients registered for care in outpatient clinics of public hospitals that are classified as either Peer Group A or B (Principal referral and specialist women’s and children’s hospitals and Large hospitals) as reported in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Australian Hospital Statistics publication from the preceding financial year.

Hospitals use the term ‘clinic’ to describe various arrangements under which they deliver services to non-admitted non-emergency department patients. Clinic services should be interpreted as encompassing services provided through specific organisational units staffed to administer and provide a certain range of outpatient care:

• in defined locations;
• at regular or irregular times; and
• where one or more specialist providers deliver care to booked patients.

Generally, in such clinics, a booking system is administered and patient records are maintained to document patient attendances and care provided.

The scope includes all arrangements made to deliver specialist care to non-admitted patients whose treatment has been funded through the hospital, regardless of the source from which the hospital derives these funds. In particular, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, compensable and other patients funded through the hospital (including Medicare ineligible patients) are included.

The scope also includes Outreach Services which are funded through acute hospitals, and provided to the patient in the home, place of work or other non-hospital site.

Excluded from scope are:

• Outreach services which are not funded through the acute hospital and/or which deliver non- clinical care (Activities such as home cleaning, meals on wheels, home maintenance); and
• All Private specialist services delivered under private practice arrangements which are not funded through the hospital, regardless of whether or how these services may be funded by third party arrangements.
• All services covered by NMDS for:
  • Admitted Patient Care,
  • Admitted patient mental health care,
  • Alcohol and other drug treatment services,
  • Community mental health care,
  • Non-admitted patient emergency department.

Though admitted patient services are excluded from scope, outpatient services booked for reasons independent of or distinct from the admitted patient episode are in scope.