Difference between a med center and hospital?

[xmsr3]

Could someone please tell me the difference between an Army medical center and hospital.

For example, when I search under med center on the TRICARE MTF locator, I find the major regional med centers such as Tripler, Brooke, Walter Reed, as well as the ones at Ft. Lewis, (tacoma) Ft. Bliss, (El Paso) and Ft. Gordon, (Augusta)

But I also get Womack med center at Fort Bragg and Carl Darnall med center at Ft. Hood.

To add to my confusion, Ft. Campbell has Blanchfield Army community hospital listed as a med center.

Yet under hospitals I find 12 community hospitals, (same label as Blanchfield but a different classification) located at various Forts and West Point, some examples are Irwin Army Community Hospital, Ft. Riley KS and Basset Army Community Hospital Ft. Wainwright AK.

So what is the difference between a med center and a community hospital? Are med centers bigger and better equipped? Do med centers do procedures community hospitals don't? Does a community hospital treat civilians as well as military personal and a med center only treats one? Or visa versa?

Or does the size, level of equipment and procedures done depend on each specific hospital/ med center?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[a1qwerty55]

The difference is enormous.

Med Centers are larger, theoretically tertiary care centers - access to multiple subspecialists, more equipment, technology etc. You can legitimately argue if they meet this goal.

Community hospitals are much smaller, usually with minimal inpatient capability and very limited subspecialty care. The community hospital focus is usually outpatient care and limited inpatient care - examples being simple post ops, and Obstetrics - most don't have a functional ICU's nor Cath labs etc.

Not all Med Centers are created equal - some are Med Cens in name only, and lack certain capabilities I think a Med Cen should have, be that Neuro Surgery, CT surgery, Trauma, Neonatology etc. Some have better staffing than others - Walter Reed and Brooke for example have generally (not always) robust staffing as they have Fellowship programs, others have single provider shops.

One last point - Community hospitals are usually staffed with the newest residency grads since they are often not viewed as desirable duty stations by many physicians, and are heavily reliant on civilian contractors some with marginal skills.

 

[xmsr3]

So is it safe to say that a specialist such as a radiologist would only be assigned to a med center? or are there some community hospitals that have radiology departments?

 

[dru2002]

So is it safe to say that a specialist such as a radiologist would only be assigned to a med center? or are there some community hospitals that have radiology departments?

Radiologists would be a community hospitals as well. When I was stationed in 29palms we had one radiologist. I would think with telemedicine this would change though.

 

[xmsr3]

dru2002 in what way do you think telemedecine would chance that? Do you mean there would be more radiologists stationed at community hospitals or less?

 

[dru2002]

dru2002 in what way do you think telemedecine would chance that? Do you mean there would be more radiologists stationed at community hospitals or less?

I think there would be less. With only one radiologist, whenever he took leave, Balboa radiologists would view all urgent studies. Eventually I think that radiologists will find themselves located at large medical centers and reading studies from afar. Kinda of a consolidation of resources. But what do I know I'm an MS0?

 

[SirGecko]

dru2002 in what way do you think telemedecine would chance that? Do you mean there would be more radiologists stationed at community hospitals or less?

Radiology is one of those things that can be easily and practically changed to telemedicine if you have to. You can read films anywhere if they are digital. You would have less radiologists out by their lonesome if telemedicine really picks up. (so just have everyone send their films to one of the medical centers via the internet and the radiologists there read the films)

Now of course their can be stability concerns if say the internet goes down.