What is a tertiary hospital?

A tertiary hospital is the highest level in China's hospital hierarchy, representing the top level of medical technology, equipment, services and management. Its evaluation standards cover multiple dimensions such as medical quality, scientific research capabilities, teaching level, and hardware facilities, and are strictly reviewed and certified by the health administrative department. Tertiary A hospitals are usually responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and severe diseases, medical talent training and scientific research and innovation, and are the core of the regional medical system.

First paragraph: content overview

Tertiary A hospitals are the top of the pyramid of China’s medical system. Their core features includeAuthoritative medical qualifications,Complete professional settingsandOutstanding scientific research capabilities. This article will start from three aspects: evaluation standards, service functions, and social value, focusing on analyzing the key role of tertiary hospitals in the diagnosis and treatment of difficult diseases, emergency treatment, and response to public health incidents, and at the same time comparing their differences with ordinary hospitals.

Paragraph 2: Analysis of Assessment Criteria

The assessment of tertiary hospitals is based onThousand point assessment, mainly including five major indicators:

Assessment items	score weight
Healthcare Quality and Safety	400 points
Teaching and research capabilities	200 points
Equipment and informatization	150 points
Management level	150 points
social responsibility	100 points

For example, Peking Union Medical College Hospital received full score certification in the 2022 review with its advanced equipment such as the da Vinci surgical robot and 35 national key specialties.

The third paragraph: core service functions

A tertiary hospital is responsible forFour core functions: First, it diagnoses and treats difficult and complex cases. For example, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital completes over 100 heart transplant surgeries every year. Second, it cultivates medical talents. West China Hospital sends more than 800 residents to the country every year. Third, it carries out clinical research. The People's Liberation Army General Hospital has won 12 National Science and Technology Progress Awards in the past three years. Fourth, it responds to public health emergencies. Wuhan Tongji Hospital treated 42% of severely ill patients during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Paragraph 4: Reflection of social value

The radiation effect of tertiary hospitals is significant: on the one hand, throughConstruction of medical alliancePromote the development of grassroots hospitals, such as Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital assisting 82 county-level hospitals to improve their diagnosis and treatment levels; on the other hand, promoteMedical technology innovation, the "artificial liver" technology developed by the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University has been promoted to 30 countries. Data shows that 1,582 tertiary hospitals across the country (as of 2023) account for 8% of the number of institutions and are responsible for 34% of inpatient diagnosis and treatment.

Paragraph 5: Summary and extension

As the "national team" of the medical system, the value of tertiary hospitals is not only reflected in the hardware configuration;Standardized diagnosis and treatment processandMultidisciplinary collaboration mechanismrole model. With the advancement of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, tertiary hospitals are gradually shifting to focus on critical, severe and difficult diseases, complementing primary medical institutions. It is worth noting that patients need to choose a hospital based on their actual needs. Common diseases can also receive standardized treatment in secondary hospitals.

Quote sources:
1. National Health Commission's "Hospital Classified Management Measures" 2021 Edition
2. Data from "China Health Statistics Yearbook" 2023
3. Academician Zhong Nanshan’s discussion on hierarchical diagnosis and treatment in hospitals ("Chinese Hospital Management Journal" Issue 8, 2022)
4. Public information on official hospital websites of typical cases (Union Hospital, West China Hospital, etc.)