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.

The clinic may be located on or off the main grounds of its hospital, but must be owned and operated by a hospital or system. The clinic must be formally organized as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) [county owned and operated], Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike (FQHC-LA) [county owned and operated], Rural Health Clinic (RHC), Outpatient Primary Clinic or Specialty Care Clinic. It must be primarily engaged in providing outpatient health services that furnish diagnostic and therapeutic care. This includes medical history, physical examinations, assessment of health status and treatment monitoring for a variety of medical, dental or behavioral health conditions.

This definition does not include clinics exclusively designed for and providing laboratory, X-ray, testing, therapy, pharmacy or educational services.

The attached provides a visual depiction of California’s clinic world from a Rural Health Clinic perspective.