Info on

Choosing Hospitals

27 December 2023

Under the National Health Insurance Law, every citizen has the right to receive health and hospitalization services at any general hospital nationwide.

A visit to the hospital is usually initiated based on a recommendation or referral. There is also the option to independently visit the hospital, although this option is less recommended.

In certain situations, you will be referred to the hospital due to an acute problem, while in other cases, you may be referred to the hospital by your family doctor for further inquiry or diagnosis.

Israel has 26 general hospitals and 15 geriatric hospitals nationwide.

Information on general hospitals

Patients with acute diseases can be hospitalized in geriatric, internal medicine, surgical and other wards in general hospitals. The admission to a general hospital is conducted by the emergency room (Department of Emergency Medicine).

Under the National Health Insurance Law, every citizen is entitled for healthcare and hospitalization services in each of the general hospitals in the country. In a medical emergency, every person can go to an emergency room and if hospitalization is necessary, the insuring HMO will confirm it. If it is an elective referral for hospitalization, the HMO should provide form no. 17: which is a letter of commitment from the medical insurance company.

Attention

Attention

A visit to the emergency room may be subject to copayment.
Further information on costs and exemptions when visiting emergency room (Hebrew)

A referral to the hospital is usually done following a recommendation or referral from your family physician, a consultant, or a private practice physician. You can also go to the hospital independently, but this option is less recommended.

In some situations, you will be referred to the hospital because of an acute condition, such as a heart attack, stroke, accident, etc. In other cases, you will be referred to the hospital by your family physician to complete a medical inquiry or a diagnosis of a medical condition.

Note: if a physician advises you to get a diagnosis or a hospital treatment, it is recommended to consult with him about the most appropriate hospital for your specific medical condition.

Geriatric services in general hospitals

General hospitals provide geriatric services as part of geriatric internal medicine wards, rehabilitative geriatrics, or as part of a geriatric unit.

Some general hospitals employ specialist geriatricians in internal medicine wards as well. These doctors specialize in treating acute diseases with an emphasis on symptoms characteristic of the third age.

In recent years, geriatric service in general hospitals has expanded to include the nursing staff. Consequently, it is possible to receive a targeted service for elderly people in emergency rooms and in surgical and orthopedic departments by staff members who have undergone geriatric training.

Information on geriatric hospitals

Geriatric hospitals supply a response to the necessity of long-term hospitalization in chronic respiratory wards, and in cases of complex nursing and palliative care (hospice). In some hospitals it is possible to go directly from the emergency room to geriatric hospital admission.

Hospitalization in geriatric hospitals is determined according to the health condition, and prior agreements with the insuring HMO. Clearly, the HMO will consider your wishes and the wishes of your relatives when choosing a hospital for further treatment.

Criteria for choosing a hospital

The geriatric service in the general hospitals is investigated as part of the Ministry of Health’s control activity. The control reports are available on the website and open to the public in the links below (Hebrew):

Control tools in the geriatric field are also transparent to the public. As part of service improvement, control tools are currently being updated, and subsequently will be reloaded to the website.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health publishes quality criteria annually for assessing the service provided in hospitals (Hebrew). Quality criteria are divided into different topics, based on WHO’s international criteria.