A hospital network is a public, non-profit or for-profit company or organization that provides two or more hospitals and other broad healthcare facilities and services. A hospital network may include hospitals in one or more regions within one or more states within one or more countries. A hospital network has one headquarter, usually within one of the regions served by the network facilities.^[1] (The term hospital system or health care system is used more broadly to define the organization of people, institutions, and resources that deliver health care services to meet the health needs of a region or country.)

History

Some of the earliest hospital networks were affiliated with charitable, religious organizations. The Catholic Church established a hospital network in Medieval Europe that was vastly improved from the merely reciprocal hospitality of the Greeks and family-based obligations of the Romans. These hospitals were established to cater to "particular social groups marginalized by poverty, sickness, and age," according to historian of hospitals, Guenter Risse.^[2]

In the late 20th century hospital networks were established to make delivery of healthcare more efficient and to share specialized medical services and physicians across the network. To avoid financial losses due to shrinking reimbursements and rising costs as well as improving quality of care and avoid duplication of services, hospitals may consolidate certain services at one hospital. However, patients may need to travel farther if those services are no longer offered at their local hospital.^[3][4][5]

Largest hospital networks

Hospital networks that do not have reliable sources may not be included; these are not necessarily complete lists.

Ranked by capacity

This is a list of hospital networks with a capacity of more than 2,500 beds.

Hospital network	Country	Beds	As of year	Ref
HCA Healthcare	United States	48,855	2019	[6]
Helios	Germany	38.129	2021	[7]
Ascension	United States	27,843	2020	[8]
Asklepios Kliniken	Germany	27,090	2019	[9]
IHH Healthcare	Malaysia	15,000		[10]
Veterans Health Administration	United States	13,000		[11]
Apollo Hospitals	India	10,261	2020	[12]
Chang Gung Medical Foundation	Taiwan	10,050		[13]
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center	United States	8,800	2022	[14]
First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University	China	7,000		[15]
Cleveland Clinic	United States	6,026	2019	[16]
Advocate Aurora Health	United States	5,862	2021	[17][18]
University Hospitals Ruhr Bochum	Germany	5,645	2021	[19]
Manipal Hospitals India	India	5,000		[20]
SingHealth	Singapore	4,814	2021	[21]
National Healthcare Group	Singapore	4,683	2019	[22]
West China Medical Center	China	4,300		[23]
Fortis Healthcare	India	4,000	2020	[24]
Charité	Germany	3,099	2021	[25]
Metro Pacific Hospitals	Philippines	3,200	2018	[26]

Ranked by staff

This is a list of hospital networks with at least 20,000 staff.

Hospital	Country	Staff	As of year	Ref
Veterans Health Administration	United States	330,000		[11]
HCA Healthcare	United States	280,000	2019	[6]
Kaiser Permanente	United States	217,126	2020	[27]
CommonSpirit Health	United States	150,000	2020	[28]
Helios	Germany	125,000	2021	[29]
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center	United States	92,000	2022	[14]
Advocate Aurora Health	United States	75,000	2021	[30]
Mayo Clinic	United States	70,000	2019	[31]
Cleveland Clinic	United States	67,554	2019	[16]
Apollo Hospitals	India	62,939	2020	[12]
IHH Healthcare	Malaysia	55,000		[10]
Johns Hopkins Medicine	United States	53,352	2018	[32]
Asklepios Kliniken	Germany	36,265	2019	[9]
SingHealth	Singapore	31,570	2021	[21]
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	United Kingdom	23,000	2019	[33]

By country

See also

• Health system
• History of hospitals

References