Chapter 14: The Hospital in Society Flashcards
What is a Hospital?
A hospital is defined as a facility with at least 6 beds that is licensed by the state as a hospital or that is operated as a hospital by a federal or state agency.
Formal institution for patient care intended to meet the more complex health needs of patients.
The hospital is the major…
social institution for the delivery of health care in the modern world.
Formal institution in modern society to meet complex health needs
Gives the patient access to centralized medical knowledge and advanced technology
Protects both families and society from the disruptive effects of illness by placing the sick within the institution for medical care
Hospitals have passed through __ distinct stages in the history of their development
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Primary functions of the medieval hospital
were the exercise of religious practices and the extension of charity and welfare services to the poor, including both the able-bodied and the sick
as Poorhouses
Hospitals during this period acquired the characteristics of boarding houses
Offered food and shelter to the poor, regardless of whether they were sick or healthy
Death houses
Hospitals during this period were crowded and unsanitary, and the low success rate of medical intervention often meant that hospitals were viewed as places where the poor went to die
Centers of Medical Technology
By the end of the 19th century, hospitals were places where patients of all social classes could generally expect to find high-quality medical care and to be cured of their disorders
Hospitals in the US
First hospitals founded in the U.S. more than 250 years ago
Rising Cost of Hospitalization
Hospital costs have risen more than any other aspect of medical care
90% of all hospital costs are now paid by a third party
A significant portion of hospital costs are the administrative costs- estimated $50 billion annually could be saved by converting to a universal form (OR MEDICAL CARD!)
Hospital Ownership
Non-Profit- most common, 51% of hospitals
For-Profit approximately 17% of hospitals
Government- local, state or federal
VA Hospitals
Non-profit Hospitals
most common type in the US (community)
Non-profit Hospitals have…
satellite outpatient centers, large group practices, clinics, pharmacies, smaller hospitals, management organizations providing administrative services to physicians and employ primary care physicians.
Organization of Non-Profit Hospitals
The governing body of the non- profit hospital is the board of trustees.
Commonly consisting of influential people in the community
Most often concerned with administrative matters and public relations
Minimal authority over medical staff
Minimal medical knowledge
Hospital Patient Relationship (bills)
A patient receives at least 2 bills:
One for hospital services
One for physician services
