When a patient needs a higher level of skill, knowledge, or diagnostic capability than what a primary care physician can provide, they move to the secondary health care level. Secondary health care occurs in hospitals, specialty clinics, and therapeutic facilities and is provided by medical, mental health, and allied healthcare professionals who have specialized education beyond the scope of…

Patients move through primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in the healthcare system throughout their lifetimes. Most patients spend most of their lives seeing practitioners at the primary level.

secondary health care — (acute or hospital care) when a patient’s condition requires specialty care or diagnosis. community hospitals — all hospitals that are not federal hospitals and offer both short-term and/or specialty care available to the general public. for-profit — hospitals and other healthcare organizations that are run as businesses and funded in part by investors who expect to receive a share of the profits from the business in return…. not-for-profit (NFP) — organizations, such as hospitals and other healthcare groups, that are funded in part by donations and do not have to pay local, state, or federal taxes but are required to….