What Is an Acute Care Hospital?

An acute care hospital provides 24-hour inpatient care to people for brief, but severe, episodes of illness. These episodes include conditions related to trauma, and recovery following surgery. (Ref. 1.)

Identification

• While requirements vary by state, most acute care hospitals offer medical, nursing, laboratory, surgery, anesthesia, pharmacy, radiology (x-ray), and dietary services. (Ref. 2.) Many hospitals also offer specialized levels of care, such as intensive care units.

Types

• Acute care hospitals may be classified by ownership (private versus government), financial structure (profit versus non-profit), academic affiliation (teaching versus non-teaching), and religious affiliation (sectarian versus non-sectarian).

Levels

• Acute care hospitals may be designated as primary, secondary, or tertiary care facilities. These are licensing categories that indicate the specific type of services available at each hospital. (Ref. 3.)

Features

• A primary care hospital serves patients with common disorders. A secondary care hospital serves patients referred for specialty care. A tertiary care hospital provides very specialized care to complex patients transferred from the other two levels of care. (Ref. 3.)

Considerations

• While most acute care hospitals provide general care for a broad spectrum of diseases and surgical diagnoses, some are specialty hospitals. For example, a hospital may focus on the care of women and infants, or on joint diseases.