Health Facilities 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. Statistics and Research Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2007 National Center for Health Statistics 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 Crisis Checklists May Substantially Reduce the Likelihood of Critical Missed Steps in the Operating Room Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals American Hospital Association Health System Measurement Project: Quality Department of Health and Human Services Patients Have a Lower Risk of Dying in Level I Trauma Centers Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Quality Improvement Initiative Reduces Serious Safety Events in Pediatric Hospital Patients Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Quality of Care is Similar for Safety-Net and Non-Safety-Net Hospitals Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Rural and Urban Hospitals’ Role in Providing Inpatient Care, 2010 National Center for Health Statistics Rural Residents Who Are Hospitalized in Rural and Urban Hospitals: United States, 2010 National Center for Health Statistics Trends in Inpatient Hospital Deaths: National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2000-2010 National Center for Health Statistics Wait Time for Treatment in Hospital Emergency Departments: 2009 National Center for Health Statistics Related Issues Birthing Centers and Hospital Maternity Services Nemours Foundation Helping You Choose Quality Ambulatory Care Joint Commission Helping You Choose Quality Behavioral Health Care Joint Commission Helping You Identify Quality Laboratory Services Joint Commission Report a Complaint (about a Health Care Organization) Joint Commission Your Discharge Planning Checklist Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Find an Expert Find and Compare Doctors, Plans, Hospitals, Suppliers and Other Providers Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mental Health Treatment Program Locator Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Start Here Guide to Choosing a Hospital Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Hints National Institute on Aging Array How to choose the best hospital for surgery Isolation precautions Leaving the hospital – your discharge plan Skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities – choosing Skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Improve Hospital-to-Home Transitions Encyclopedia Preventing infections when visiting Wound care centers Journal Articles Health Facilities Health Check Tools Question Builder: Be Prepared for Your Next Medical Appointment Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Specifics School-Based Health Centers Nemours Foundation Seniors What Older Adults Need to Know about Retail Clinics AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Latest News A Healthy Heart May Protect an Aging Brain HealthDay Health Care Workers Skipped Hand Washing One-Third of The Time HealthDay Location Is Key to Help Hospital Hand Sanitizers Get Used HealthDay Hospital Volume Tied to Success of Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer HealthDay Program Cut Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections HealthDay Rural Hospitals Often Safer, Cheaper for Common Surgeries HealthDay Hunger Sending Some Americans to The Hospital HealthDay Persistent Critical Illness May Keep Patients from Leaving ICU HealthDay