Healthcare delivery happens in distinct settings that serve different medical needs and generate different types of data. Outpatient care (also called ambulatory care) is how most people experience healthcare. This includes visits to doctor’s offices and urgent care clinics and even minor procedures like the removal of pre-cancerous lesions by a dermatologist. Inpatient care means admission to a hospital and almost always at least one overnight stay. Inpatient stays involve continuous monitoring, around-the-clock nursing care, and coordinated treatment from multiple specialists. Emergency departments handle acute crises regardless of ability to pay and serve as the gateway to inpatient admission for severely ill patients. Long-term care facilities (nursing homes, rehab centers) provide extended recovery or end-of-life care for patients who need more support than they can get at home but don’t require intensive hospital resources.