Health Facilities
Basics
Learn More
See, Play and Learn
Research
Resources
For You
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
- Birthing Centers and Hospital Maternity Services (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Helping You Choose Quality Ambulatory Care (Joint Commission) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Helping You Choose Quality Behavioral Health Care (Joint Commission) - PDF
- Helping You Identify Quality Laboratory Services (Joint Commission) - PDF
- Report a Complaint (about a Health Care Organization) (Joint Commission)
Specifics
- School-Based Health Centers (Nemours Foundation)
Health Check Tools
- Question Builder: Be Prepared for Your Next Medical Appointment (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Statistics and Research
- Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2007 (National Center for Health Statistics) - PDF
- Community Health Centers: Providers, Patients, and Content of Care (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Costs for Hospital Stays in the United States, 2011 (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - PDF
- Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals (American Hospital Association)
- Rural Residents Who Are Hospitalized in Rural and Urban Hospitals: United States, 2010 (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Wait Time for Treatment in Hospital Emergency Departments: 2009 (National Center for Health Statistics)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: One Hospital's Experience With Implementing On-Demand Annual Competencies for Nurses.
- Article: Simulation for Clinical Preparedness in Pediatric Emergencies: A Pilot Study.
- Article: Trends and correlation between antibiotic usage and resistance pattern among...
- Health Facilities -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services Locator (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Find and Compare Doctors, Plans, Hospitals, Suppliers and Other Providers (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
Seniors
- What Older Adults Need to Know about Retail Clinics (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - PDF Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- 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 and rehabilitation facilities - choosing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish