HIV: OPTIONS FOR MEDICAL CARE-HOSPITAL CARE: CHOOSING A HOSPITAL
For many people with HIV infection, choice of a hospital is limited. Participants in HMOs are required to use specific hospitals. People from small cities or from rural areas often have only one hospital near enough to choose. In medical emergencies, a public ambulance is required to take the patient to the nearest hospital, leaving the family and the patient little say in the matter, unless they hire a private ambulance.
In most instances, the physician responsible for the care of the person with HIV infection will make a recommendation depending on which hospital has the resources necessary for that person, and in which hospital the physician has admitting privileges (meaning the physician is
allowed to admit and treat patients).
A large teaching hospital might best be chosen by a person who has unusual complications that require specialized services. If you have a strong wish to go to a certain hospital, you should tell your physician. In the event that your physician is not on the admitting staff of that hospital, he or she can often transfer your medical care to another physician.
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