Tertiary Care
Updated: 29 February 2024
What Does Tertiary Care Mean?
Tertiary care is specialized consultative health care, usually given to inpatients. It is administered on referral from a primary or secondary health professional, in a facility with personnel and facilities for advanced medical screening and treatment.
Insuranceopedia Explains Tertiary Care
Tertiary care is necessary when a patient requires different levels of care that a primary care physician cannot provide. It is a higher level of specialty care that usually requires hospitalization or routine screenings. Because of this, smaller hospitals and general practices are not usually able to provide this kind of medical attention and must transfer patients who require it to an appropriate facility.
Examples of tertiary care services include:
- Midwife services
- Cancer management
- Neurosurgery
- Plastic surgery
- Advanced neonatology services
- Palliative care
