3 Types of Healthcare Facilities

When most people think about healthcare, they imagine a hospital fully staffed with doctors and nurses. However, there are certain lifelong medical conditions that require sophisticated treatments. Primary care physicians are typically unable to assist patients who require long-term care, since they could burden hospitals and reduce their budget. There is an increasingly popular notion in healthcare that holistic care can treat the human as a whole being by focusing on healing ailments affecting the mind, body and spirit. There are three healthcare facilities that provide specialized care.

Ambulatory Surgery Facilities

Ambulatory surgery facilities are outpatient healthcare facilities where surgeons safely perform procedures on patients outside a hospital setting. More than half of all surgeries are done in outpatient facilities. They’re less crowded, lowering the risk of infection for both staff and patients, and offer surgeries for a lower cost than hospitals. Healthcare workers don’t diagnose outpatients but are referred to the facility by a doctor. Healthcare workers sometimes use equipment more advanced than machines used in primary care facilities.

Nursing Homes and Assisted Living

Sometimes, the elderly require a set of accommodations their family are unable to provide. Nursing homes help patients cope with injuries and may provide speech and occupational therapy. Patients live in different halls, which they are assigned based on the severity of their condition. Assisted living facilities are similar, but provide a more upscale, homey atmosphere to patients who don’t require as much constant care as patients in nursing homes. Home health care Bethesda Maryland is an increasingly popular option for the elderly who want a caregiver but also want to live at home.

Mental Health Treatment Centers

Some mental health issues require extensive, long-term care. Behavioral hospitals provide comprehensive treatment programs, combating illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia and substance abuse disorder. Mental illness is complicated to treat since the symptoms are based on mood or thought patterns and are not based on observable physical action. Communication with patients who suffer from mental illness should be less directive and more empathetic, since they could become hostile and resistant. Therapists and psychologists work to help patients who are not in full control of their thoughts.

Healthcare workers in specialized clinics are able to provide more direct care to restore health and wellness. Surgeons are able to operate on patients in a more sanitary environment. Assisted living facilities provide a sense of independents for elderly residents who sometimes need caregivers to help, but home care is also becoming more popular. Patients who struggle to cope with mental illness may need psychologists to work closely with them and guide them to recovery with empathy.