Acute Care
Updated: 29 February 2024
What Does Acute Care Mean?
Acute care refers to short and intensive health treatments. It might be administered to a person suffering from a serious illness or injury, with the goal of improving their health in a short time.
Insuranceopedia Explains Acute Care
The time element is considered in the taxonomy of healthcare. The relative shortness of time a patient gets treated is a defining factor of acute care as opposed to the other forms of care, like chronic care and long-term care. An inflamed appendix (appendicitis), for instance, can be life-threatening but its treatment (a surgery called appendectomy) can be performed in a short period of time, compared to other invasive procedures.