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.

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