An official website of the United States government
Hospital
Updated September 16, 2026
According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), hospitals are licensed institutions with at least six beds whose primary function is to provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient services for medical conditions; they have an organized physician staff; and they provide continuous nursing services under the supervision of registered nurses. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers an establishment to be a hospital if it is permanently staffed by at least one physician, can offer inpatient accommodation, and can provide active medical and nursing care. Hospitals may be classified by type of service, ownership, size by number of beds, and length of stay. (Also see Sources and Definitions, Bed, health facility.)
Community hospital
Based on the AHA definition and includes all nonfederal, short-term general, state-local government-owned and special hospitals whose facilities and services are available to the public. Special hospitals include obstetrics and gynecology; eye, ear, nose, and throat; rehabilitation; orthopedic; and other specialty services. Short-term general and special children’s hospitals are also considered to be community hospitals. A hospital may include a nursing home-type unit and still be classified as short-term, provided that most of its patients are admitted to units where the average length of stay is less than 30 days. Hospital units within institutions such as prisons and college infirmaries that are not open to the public and are contained within a nonhospital facility are not included in the category of community hospitals. Traditionally, the definition has included all nonfederal short-stay hospitals except facilities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Federal hospital
A hospital operated by the federal government. Federal hospitals include those operated by agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, and other federal entities. Federal hospitals are excluded from the AHA definition of community hospitals.
For-profit hospital
A hospital owned by individuals, partnerships, corporations, or other investor-owned entities and operated on a for-profit basis. For-profit hospitals may be part of multihospital systems or independently owned.
General hospital
Defined as providing patient services, both diagnostic and therapeutic, for a variety of medical conditions. According to WHO, these hospitals provide medical and nursing care for more than one category of medical discipline (for example, general medicine, specialized medicine, general surgery, specialized surgery, and obstetrics). Excluded are hospitals that provide a more limited range of care (usually in rural areas).
Nonprofit hospital
A hospital owned and operated by a nonprofit organization, religious organization, or governmental entity and not operated for profit. Any surplus revenues are generally reinvested in the hospital’s facilities, services, and programs.
Registered hospital
Defined as registered with AHA. An institution may be registered by AHA as a hospital if it is accredited as a hospital by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or is certified as a provider of acute services under Title 18 of the Social Security Act and has provided AHA with documents verifying the accreditation or certification.
Short-stay hospital
A hospital in which the average length of stay is less than 30 days. In the National Health Interview Survey, short-stay hospitals include hospitals or hospital departments providing general; maternity; eye; ear, nose, and throat; children’s; or osteopathic services.
Special hospital
Defined by AHA as providing diagnostic and treatment services for patients who have specified medical conditions or who require specialized types of care, both surgical and nonsurgical. Examples include children’s hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, orthopedic hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and other specialty hospitals.