There are 150,000 hospitals and clinics in Japan. These hospital directories below are recommended for companies wishing to sell medical devices and medicines. Medical corporations are legal entities whose purpose is to operate hospitals and clinics.
The first difference between a hospital and a clinic in Japan is the number of beds.
If it has fewer than 20 beds, it is a clinic; if it has more than 20 beds, it is a hospital. Many clinics have no beds at all. In addition to the number of beds, there are many other differences between hospitals and clinics. One example is the number of doctors on staff. Many clinics have one doctor, whereas hospitals must have at least three doctors. Also, there is no limit to the number of patients a doctor can see in a clinic, whereas a hospital needs one doctor for every 40 outpatients and one doctor for every 16 inpatients.
The functions of a hospital vary according to size and the local medical environment, but can be broadly divided into inpatient and outpatient functions. The home care function is becoming increasingly important as the population ages. In addition, there are preventive activities such as physical check-ups and medical examinations.
There are two types of hospitals: those established by corporations, such as medical corporation hospitals and public hospitals, and those established by individuals. In the case of corporate hospitals, the chairman of the board of directors is responsible for management if the hospital is a medical corporation, and the founder/manager of the hospital is responsible for management if it is a public hospital, while the hospital director is responsible for medical treatment as a manager. In private hospitals, the hospital director is responsible for both management and medical treatment as the hospital founder/manager.
Japan's healthcare system is supported by the fact that all citizens are covered by public health insurance, and everyone contributes to the insurance premiums and helps each other to receive medical care with peace of mind. Patients are free to choose a medical institution as long as they have a single insurance card, and are equally free to receive the medical care they need.