Clinics

A clinic is a health care delivery setting primarily engaged in providing outpatient health care furnishing diagnostic and therapeutic services. This includes medical history, physical examination, assessment of health status and treatment for a variety of medical, dental or behavioral health conditions. Care provided in this setting is often referred to as “primary care.”

There are a number of clinics in California that provide primary care services. These clinics are identified in a number of ways based on how they are licensed by the state and whether or not they are federally certified.

A hospital-based outpatient clinic (HBOC) is defined as a clinic providing “outpatient service” as listed on the hospital’s general acute-care license issued by the State Department of Public Health. The HBOC is a setting in which integrated and accessible primary and specialty health care services are provided by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustainable partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.