ABSTRACT
Through much of the twentieth century, the private physician’s office-for primary care-and the hospital-for emergency, life-threatening, and surgical care-were almost the only medical treatment sites. However, in the last few decades, the health care delivery system has undergone a significant transformation, and now a wide array of care sites is available. This chapter describes and analyzes changes in five important components of the health care delivery system: hospitals, freestanding ambulatory and surgical care sites, nursing homes, hospices, and home health care.
