Health care facilities exist in various types giving patients a wide variety of choices to choose from when seeking care. Hospitals are usually open throughout and they have physicians in diverse specialties, health care administrators, various medical technicians, specialized equipment, and a highly experienced nursing staff. As noted by Healthcare Facilities in California (2016), a hospital is mainly for providing short-term care for individuals with acute health issues primarily from genetic anomalies, diseases, or injuries. Moreover, hospitals offer services such as lab work, labor and delivery services, diagnostic testing, scheduled surgeries, emergency care, and patient education. Besides, they also provide both outpatient and inpatient care depending on an individual’s health situation. Nursing homes also operate 24 hours a day and are designed for people who need constant care. Despite them being associated with seniors in need of custodial care, it does serve people of all ages in need of such level of attention.
Urgent care clinics are also a form of medical facilities that patients go to when they need basic care and are unable to reach their doctors. However, these clinics are different from the hospital emergency rooms since they do not handle complex health situations like broken bones, or breathing difficulties. The ambulatory surgical center is a type of healthcare facility that is designed to provide surgical procedures that are unsafe to be done in a doctor’s office. This health care facility is also referred to as outpatient surgery centers and is often less expensive than a hospital. And finally, a doctor’s office is a type of health care facility that a doctor or doctors treat patients in a facility where they practice a joint specialty. The facilities are the ones traditionally referred to as “Doctor’s Office” where patients receive routine care and treatment for conditions that are severe but do not necessitate immediate intervention. Besides, the facilities usually have nurses and physician assistants that contribute to patient care.
Reference
Healthcare Facilities in California. (2016). Gis.oshpd.ca.gov. Retrieved 18 June 2016, from http://gis.oshpd.ca.gov/atlas/places/facility
