"Hospital" is a broad word in the United States. A 15-bed rural facility, a large academic medical center, a psychiatric hospital and a VA medical center are all hospitals, but they are licensed, paid and staffed very differently. Knowing which type you are looking at helps you understand what care it can provide on site, what it will transfer elsewhere, and how billing and eligibility are likely to work.
This guide explains the main categories you will see in our directory and in federal data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.
Hospitals grouped by the care they provide
| Type | What it does | Typical setting |
|---|---|---|
| Acute care hospital | Short-term inpatient care, surgery, emergency care and diagnostics | Cities, suburbs and larger towns |
| Critical access hospital | Small rural hospital with up to 25 inpatient beds and 24/7 emergency care | Rural areas far from other hospitals |
| Rural emergency hospital | Emergency and outpatient care only, no routine inpatient stays | Rural communities |
| Children's hospital | Care designed for infants, children and adolescents | Usually metro areas, serving a wide region |
| Psychiatric hospital | Inpatient mental health and sometimes substance use treatment | Statewide or regional |
| Long-term care hospital | Extended hospital-level care for medically complex patients | Often near large hospitals |
Acute care hospitals
Most hospitals people think of are short-term acute care hospitals. They treat illnesses and injuries that need a hospital stay of days rather than months, perform surgery, run an emergency department and offer imaging and lab services. Medicare pays most of them under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System, which sets a payment per stay based on the diagnosis. Browse acute care hospitals in our directory.
Critical access hospitals
A critical access hospital (CAH) is a federal designation for small rural hospitals. A CAH can have no more than 25 inpatient beds, must keep an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less, and generally must be more than 35 miles from another hospital. Medicare pays these hospitals based on their reasonable costs, which helps keep emergency care available in sparsely populated areas. Read more in What Is a Critical Access Hospital? or browse critical access hospitals.
Rural emergency hospitals
The rural emergency hospital (REH) designation took effect on January 1, 2023. It lets a qualifying small rural hospital or critical access hospital stop providing routine inpatient care while keeping a round-the-clock emergency department and outpatient services. Patients who need admission are transferred. See rural emergency hospitals.
Children's hospitals
Children's hospitals focus entirely on young patients, with pediatric specialists, child-sized equipment and family-centered facilities. Some are freestanding buildings, others operate as a hospital within a larger hospital. Many general hospitals also have a pediatric unit. The difference is explained in Children's Hospital vs Pediatric Unit. Browse children's hospitals.
Psychiatric hospitals
Psychiatric hospitals provide inpatient treatment for serious mental health conditions. Some are state-run, some are private, and many general hospitals have a psychiatric unit instead of a separate facility. See How to Get Inpatient Mental Health Care and psychiatric hospitals.
Long-term care hospitals
Long-term care hospitals (LTCHs, sometimes called long-term acute care hospitals) treat patients who need hospital-level care for an extended period, for example people recovering from a long intensive care stay or needing prolonged ventilator support. Under Medicare rules, an LTCH must have an average inpatient length of stay of more than 25 days. They are not nursing homes. Browse long-term care hospitals.
Hospitals grouped by who runs them
Ownership affects how a hospital is funded, what reporting it must do and, in some cases, who can be treated there.
- Nonprofit hospitals are tax-exempt organizations. Under section 501(r) of the Internal Revenue Code they must have a written financial assistance policy and meet other community benefit rules. See nonprofit hospitals.
- Church-affiliated hospitals are usually nonprofit hospitals connected to a religious body, such as a Catholic, Adventist, Baptist or Methodist health system. Religious directives can affect which services are offered. See church-affiliated hospitals.
- For-profit hospitals are owned by investors or companies and pay taxes. See for-profit hospitals.
- Public hospitals are owned by a city, county, state or hospital district and often serve as a safety net for uninsured patients. See public hospitals.
- Physician-owned hospitals are partly owned by doctors who practice there. Federal law has limited new physician-owned hospitals from billing Medicare since 2010. See physician-owned hospitals.
The ownership question is covered in more depth in Nonprofit vs For-Profit Hospitals.
Federal hospitals
Some hospitals are run by the federal government for specific groups of people.
- VA hospitals are operated by the Veterans Health Administration for enrolled veterans. See How VA Hospitals Work and VA hospitals.
- Military hospitals (military treatment facilities) are run by the Department of Defense for active duty service members, their families and some retirees covered by TRICARE. See military hospitals.
- Tribal and Indian Health Service hospitals serve American Indian and Alaska Native people. Some are run directly by the IHS and others by tribes under self-determination agreements. See tribal hospitals.
Other labels you may see
Several labels describe a hospital's role rather than its license:
- Teaching hospital: trains medical residents and fellows. See What Is a Teaching Hospital?.
- Trauma center: verified or designated to treat serious injuries at a given level. See What Is a Trauma Center?.
- Specialty hospital: focuses on one area such as heart, orthopedic, cancer or rehabilitation care.
- Inpatient rehabilitation facility: provides intensive therapy after a stroke, spinal cord injury, major orthopedic surgery and similar events.
How to use this when choosing care
For a planned procedure, check that the hospital type actually offers the service. A critical access hospital, for example, may handle common surgeries and childbirth in some communities but transfer complex cases. For emergencies, the nearest emergency department is usually the right place, because federal law requires hospitals with emergency departments to screen and stabilize patients regardless of ability to pay. To compare options near you, start with How to Choose a Hospital or use hospitals near me.