Health Topics
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Basics
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Summary
Health facilities are places that provide health care. They include hospitals, clinics, outpatient care centers, and specialized care centers, such as birthing centers and psychiatric care centers.
When you choose a health facility, you might want to consider:
- How close it is to where you live or work
- Whether your health insurance will pay for services there
- Whether your health care provider can treat you there
- The quality of the facility
Quality is important. Some facilities do a better job than others. One way to learn about the quality of a facility is to look at report cards developed by federal, state, and consumer groups.
Related Issues
- Helping You Choose: Quality Ambulatory Care (Joint Commission) - PDF
- Helping You Choose: Quality Hospital Care (Joint Commission) - PDF
- Helping You Choose: Quality Nursing Care Center Services (Joint Commission) - PDF
- Report a Patient Safety Concern or File a Complaint (Joint Commission)
- Where Should I Have My Baby? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- School-Based Health Centers (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Health Check Tools
- QuestionBuilder App (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals (American Hospital Association)
- FastStats: Ambulatory Care Use and Physician Office Visits (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: A Path to Better Care for Older Adults: Optimizing Medicare and...
- Article: Enhancing hospital safety: The impact of resilience on safety climate, safety...
- Article: Candida auris Containment Responses in Health Care Facilities that Provide Hemodialysis...
- Health Facilities -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Find a Clinic (National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics)
- FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
- Medicare: Find and Compare Health Care Providers (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
Children
- Going to the Hospital (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Choosing a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- How to choose the best hospital for surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Isolation precautions (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Leaving the hospital - your discharge plan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.