Level 2 hospitals in China: Is there a point?
27-Apr-15, Health Intel Asia
Tier 2 Chinese hospitals are quickly losing their purpose.
Image: Health Intelligence Asia
China categorizes health service providers by geographic location, size, as well as medical capabilities, including hospital beds, infrastructure, service quality, and clinical capabilities. In recent years, tier 3 hospitals, which are the most powerful ones with the largest sizes, experienced a round of rapid expansion. Tier 1 hospitals, mainly community hospitals targeting primary care, received strong government supports.
However, tier 2 hospitals, which are specialized hospitals lying in the middle, saw recessions and lost of patients. Health service revenue from tier 2 hospitals increased by 14% on average from 2009 to 2013, compared to 19% of tier 1 hospitals and 24% of tier 3 hospitals.