Chapter 2: Settings Where Healthcare is Delivered
Brandon Censon MPH, CPH, RRT-NPS, CPFT, CPT
Inpatient care is care that is provided in a hospital or another type of facility where a patient is admitted, and will spend at least one night – often times more – depending on the reason why the patient is being admitted and the level of care that is needed. Hospitals and other inpatient care settings employ the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook “Healthcare Occupations”, the healthcare industry is projected to add just under 2 million new jobs each year.
Hospital
As of 2022, in the United States, there are approximately 6,100 hospitals (American Hospital Association, 2023) that are open and actively serving the population of the US. Within the 6,100 hospitals, roughly 33,356,853 hospital admissions occur annually in the United States. These hospitals vary in size and their capacity to care for the sick. For example, general hospitals may treat a variety of medical problems and various age groups. They may also provide an assortment of diagnostics and surgical interventions. Some hospitals may have specialty units to care for individuals with very specific medical needs such as, oncology (cancer), trauma and burn units, cardiovascular, behavioral health, and specialty care for pediatrics (children). Hospitals in the United States can be differentiated using a few different factors, these include:
- How they function, meaning how they serve the community
- The size of the hospital:
- Small hospitals have fewer than 100 beds
- Medium hospitals have between 100 and 499 beds
- Large hospitals have more than 500 beds
- The location of the hospital:
- Rural hospitals generally serve smaller communities and have limited access to specialized services.
- Urban hospitals are often found in larger metropolitan areas and offer a variety of specialty services and treatment options.
Hospitals can be categorized in several different ways, such as non-profit, public, for-profit, government-owned and short-stay hospitals. Let’s briefly describe each of these.
Non-profit hospitals are likely what comes to mind when we think of medical care. This type of hospital is considered a charity, as they function in alignment with the various state and federal guidelines associated with charities. For-Profit hospitals are very different from non-profit, as they are privately owned or owned by the public through shareholders or investor-owned. Government-owned hospitals, also called community hospitals, have funding that is provided by the various levels of government (local, state, and federal). Additionally, one may find that government-owned hospitals care for a large number of patients who are underinsured or uninsured. Government-owned hospitals are often academic medical centers or teaching hospitals. This type of hospital provides hands-on education to those who are in their medical t