The Differences Between A Medical Clinic And A Hospital.

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“Clinic (Medical Institution) Last Modified: 2025-05-06 23:55:54

Category: Medical 🏢 Facility

  1. Overview

  2. Clinic Operations

  3. Important Considerations for Opening a Clinic 3.1. Startup Costs

  4. Organizational Management

  5. Related Documents

  6. Overview Clinic, 醫院

A primary medical institution. The difference between a clinic and a hospital is the number of beds available for patient admission. Generally, a medical institution with fewer than 30 beds is considered a clinic.

For regulations on clinic signage, refer to Article 40 of the Medical Law Enforcement Regulations. Even if a specific medical specialty is not listed on the sign, clinics can still provide general health consultations and even treat conditions outside of their stated specialties, provided the physician is capable. If not, they can offer guidance accordingly.

A physician who practices and manages a primary care clinic is referred to as a private practitioner or clinic owner.

In modern China and Taiwan, the term “hospital” is not commonly used; instead, the term “clinic” is preferred. Smaller clinics are called 진소 (诊所). In South Korea, the official term is “clinic,” but in everyday language, people often refer to them as “local hospitals.”

In South Korea, many clinics are concentrated in specific buildings known as medical buildings. For example, a building near Yeonsinnae Station in Seoul gained the nickname “Tower of Life” in the late 2010s due to its online meme status.

Just as government officials sometimes refer to clients as “teacher,” some nurse assistants may occasionally refer to patients as “teacher.”

  1. Clinic Operations Clinics primarily serve outpatients, and their standard operations include the following (Article 5 of the Standard Operations for Medical Institutions (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice)):

  • Outpatient treatment for simple and common illnesses

  • Comprehensive medical services, including disease prevention and consultation

  • Health management to protect and promote the health of local residents

  • Treatment for patients with chronic diseases who do not require hospitalization

  • Simple surgical procedures and outpatient treatment

  • Treatment of patients referred from other clinics

  • Treatment of patients referred from hospitals, general hospitals, or advanced general hospitals

  • Vaccinations

  1. Important Considerations for Opening a Clinic ☆ Refer to the self-employment and startup documents.

  • Social Skills and Emotional Labor: Most people visit a nearby clinic when they have health concerns. Just as restaurants have regulars, clinics also have loyal patients. Even if there are many clinics with the same specialty, patients tend to return to a familiar and trusted clinic. Therefore, a physician’s demeanor and tone are crucial. Unpleasant or disrespectful behavior from the physician or nurse assistant can deter patients.

  • Marketing: Effective marketing strategies, including signage and advertising, are essential. For clinics specializing in uninsured services like dentistry, ophthalmology, dermatology, and plastic surgery, the role of the consultation manager is particularly important.

  • Medical Skills: This is self-explanatory. These days, even at the clinic level, having a specialized skill can attract patients. A physician’s and nurse assistant’s abilities are critical. If a clinic provides poor medical treatment, patients are unlikely to return.

  • Educational Background and Training Hospital: While educational background and training hospitals are significant factors in hospitals and general hospitals, they are less important in primary care clinics. Most physicians have undergone residency training, but in South Korea, it is possible to open a clinic with just a medical license without completing a residency program.

3.1. Startup Costs Startup costs can be divided into equipment costs + rent + other expenses (e.g., interior design and staffing).

  • Location and Rent: The most critical factor. Rent is an unavoidable cost unless the physician owns the building. Clinics specializing in uninsured services (e.g., plastic surgery, dermatology) often open in prime locations with high rent, as these areas attract more patients.

  • Property Owner Issues: It is crucial to confirm whether the property owner, spouse, or child is also a physician. Otherwise, after a clinic gains a steady stream of patients, the owner might drastically increase the rent and open a similar clinic in the same location.

  • Medical Equipment: Each specialty has its own set of essential equipment, and these items are usually expensive, significantly impacting startup costs.

  • Interior Design: Recently, clinic interiors have become increasingly important. Patients prefer clean and comfortable environments. Some clinics adopt café or library-like atmospheres to provide a welcoming space for both patients and caregivers.

  1. Organizational Management Clinics with fewer than five beds are not required to hire nurses, so they often employ nurse assistants. A small clinic typically operates with one physician and two nurse assistants. Some clinics do hire nurses, but they are often older.

An interview with a nurse assistant who has worked at a clinic for 11 years provides insight into the work environment:

  • Nurses often quit due to unpaid wages or poor treatment by the physician.

  • A positive relationship with the physician can significantly improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover.

  • Proper management of staff relationships is crucial. If conflicts arise among nurse assistants, the physician must mediate effectively.

  • Internal and external job training can boost clinic revenue. For example, after attending a symposium on adult vaccines, one nurse assistant was able to handle patient inquiries more confidently, resulting in a significant increase in adult vaccine revenue.

  1. Related Documents

  • Medical Delivery System

[1] Due to a long-standing practice of financial support for clinic interior costs, pharmacists often bear a heavy financial burden when multiple clinics operate in the same building. This practice was officially banned as of January 2024. [2] The signs in the building near Yeonsinnae Station were reorganized in the early 2020s. [3] General hospitals and advanced general hospitals also conduct health screenings. [4] Vaccination programs that were previously limited to public health centers, such as free pneumonia vaccines for seniors and flu shots for vulnerable populations, can now be administered at designated clinics. COVID-19 vaccinations are also included. [5] Most nurse assistants are middle-aged women, but some are younger mothers with small children.