Outpatient coverage refers to medical treatment that does not require an overnight stay in a hospital. If your employee walks into a clinic, sees a doctor, gets treated, and leaves the same day, that is an outpatient visit.
Common examples include:
- Visiting a General Practitioner (GP) for a fever or flu (in clinic or doing virtual consultation, e.g. using Doctor Anywhere app)
- Seeing a Specialist (e.g., dermatologist or cardiologist) for a consultation.
- Dental check-ups and cleaning.
- Physiotherapy or Chiropractic sessions.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
How Soda handles outpatient care
Outpatient care is the core of Soda's offering. We make day-to-day medical visits simple and accessible.
1. Panel Clinics (Cashless)
For General Practitioner (GP) visits, Soda provides access to a network of "panel" clinics.
- How it works: Employees use the Soda app to find a nearby clinic. They show their digital e-card at the counter. See how employees can find a panel clinic with Soda
- Payment: It is cashless for the employee (up to the company's limit). Soda bills the company directly.
2. Non-Panel & Specialists (Pay & Claim)
For services like Specialists, Dental, or non-panel GPs (available on Soda Plus), flexibility is key.
- How it works: Employees can visit any licensed clinic or specialist they choose.
- Payment: The employee pays upfront and snaps a photo of the receipt in the Doctor Anywhere app. See how employees submit a claim with Soda
- Reimbursement: The claim is processed, and the money is reimbursed to the employee (usually via payroll or direct transfer, depending on company setup).
Why this matters
Most employee medical needs are outpatient (coughs, colds, dental cleaning). Soda automates this high-volume activity so HR doesn't have to manage thousands of small receipts manually. See how Soda compares to conventional solutions