I think in-patient costs are just the costs incurred by patients who have actually been admitted to hospital. Out-patients are the ones who go into hospital for day visits. Read through Chapter 4 P4,5 again as this is consistent with what it says there.
Charlie is right. The 'in' part always involves an overnight stay - could just be a one-nighter or longer. What becomes a more grey area is whether any follow-up treatment on an out patient basis could be covered under a contract. I suppose too you could get re-admitted for follow on procedures and how that affects claims could also be a consideration.
A simple rule of thumb is you're an in-patient if you have to stay in hospital and an out-patiend if you don't. People stay in hospital for many different reasons but the main ones being to have surgery and recover afterwards. People visit hospitals on an out-patiend basis to have simple procedures done (e.g. laser eye-surgery, change a dressing) or when having a meeting with their consultant. In-patient care costs more because of the higher costs associated with staying in hospital plus the stay itself would trigger a Hospital Cash benefit to be paid if applicable. The main issue is that some benefits might only be paid if the condition can be treated on an out-patient basis or follow up care from an in-patient stay might only be provided on an out-patient basis. I don't think there's any hard and fast rule about what is covered and on what basis. I guess you'd have to read the particular product guide. Hope this helps!
