Hospital is an institution that provides medical services for a community. The doctors, nurses, and other personnel of a hospital work to restore health to sick and injured people. They also try to prevent disease and maintain health in the community. Some hospitals serve as centers for medical education and research.
Every year, about 15 per cent of the people of the United States spend some time as hospital patients. Millions of others visit hospitals as outpatients. They receive treatment but do not stay in the hospital.
The United States has about 6,700 hospitals and over 1,200,000 hospital beds. Most of the hospitals have fewer than 200 beds. About 500 hospitals have over 500 beds. In Canada, there are about 1,200 hospitals and about 180,000 beds.
Each state has laws that a hospital must follow to receive a license to operate. Most U.S. hospitals are also approved by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations. Accredited hospitals must meet basic national standards set by the commission. They must also undergo periodic inspections.
In the mid-1970's, the U.S. government set up professional standards review organizations (PSRO's). In 1984, groups of medical professionals called peer review organizations (PRO's) replaced PSRO's. These groups review the quality of hospital care given to patients covered by Medicare and other federal medical assistance programs. Some PRO's also review care paid for by businesses and private insurance companies.
Some form of institution for the care of the sick has existed longer than recorded history. The first centers for the ill were probably operated together with religious temples. Priests served as healers.
