Hospital network


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 headquarters, usually within one of the regions served by the network facilities.

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.
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.

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 networkCountryBedsAs of yearRef
Alberta Health ServicesCanada

Ranked by staff

This is a list of hospital networks with at least 20,000 staff.
HospitalCountryStaffAs of yearRef
Veterans Health AdministrationUnited States

By country

United States

The largest hospital networks headquartered in the United States are included in the table below. The name, headquarters location, number of hospitals, funding type and founding year are given for each network. As of 2023, there were 6,129 hospitals in the United States.
NetworkHQ cityStateNo. of hospitals in networkFundingFounded
United States Department of Veterans AffairsWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C.171 public 1989
HCA HealthcareNashvilleTennessee184 for-profit1968
AscensionSt. LouisMissouri139 non-profit Catholic1999
CommonSpirit HealthChicagoIllinois137 non-profit Catholic2019
Community Health SystemsFranklinTennessee84 for-profit1985
Trinity HealthLivoniaMichigan92 non-profit Catholic2000
LifePoint HealthBrentwoodTennessee84 for-profit1999
Advocate HealthCharlotteNorth Carolina69 non-profit2022
Tenet HealthcareDallasTexas65 for-profit1969
Vibra HealthcareMechanicsburgPennsylvania45 for-profit2004
Providence Health & ServicesRentonWashington52 non-profit Catholic2016
AdventHealthAltamonte SpringsFlorida55 non-profit 1973
Baylor Scott & White HealthDallasTexas52 for-profit1897
Bon Secours Mercy HealthCincinnatiOhio50 non-profit Catholic2018
Prime Healthcare ServicesOntarioCalifornia45 for-profit2001
Sanford HealthSioux FallsSouth Dakota46 non-profit1894
Mercy HealthSt. LouisMissouri40 non-profit Catholic1871
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center PittsburghPennsylvania40 non-profit1893
Kaiser PermanenteOaklandCalifornia39 consortium of for-profit and non-profit1945
MercyOneCliveIowa25 non-profit Catholic1998
Christus HealthIrvingTexas60 non-profit Catholic1999
Avera HealthSioux FallsSouth Dakota35 non-profit Catholic1897
Ardent Health ServicesNashvilleTennessee30 for-profit1993
Great Plains Health AllianceWichitaKansas29 non-profit1950
Texas Health ResourcesArlingtonTexas27 non-profit faith based1997
Banner HealthPhoenixArizona30 non-profit1999
NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare SystemNew York CityNew York26non-profit Presbyterian2015
Providence Health & ServicesRentonWashington52 non-profit Catholic1859
Indian Health ServiceRockvilleMaryland46 public 1955
Quorum Health CorporationBrentwoodTennessee22 for-profit2015
Universal Health ServicesKing of PrussiaPennsylvania26 for-profit1979
Intermountain HealthSalt Lake CityUtah24 non-profit1970
Sutter HealthSacramentoCalifornia24 non-profit1921
Community Hospital CorporationPlanoTexas29 for-profit1996
Mayo Clinic Health SystemRochesterMinnesota20 non-profit1992
Northwell HealthNew Hyde ParkNew York23 non-profit1997
SSM HealthSt. LouisMissouri23 non-profit Catholic1872
Baptist HealthMemphisTennessee22 non-profit Baptist1955
UnityPoint HealthWest Des MoinesIowa39 non-profit1993
Ballad HealthJohnson CityTennessee21 non-profit2018
Hospital Sisters Health SystemSpringfieldIllinois15non-profit Catholic1978
BJC HealthCareSt. LouisMissouri15non-profit1993
Allina HealthMinneapolisMinnesota12non-profit1983

Notes:

Canadian headquartered hospital networks

A new grouping of hospitals was announced by the Irish Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly TD in May 2013, as part of a restructure of Irish public hospitals and a goal of delivering better patient care: