tertiary care
noun
: highly specialized medical care usually over an extended period of time that involves advanced and complex procedures and treatments performed by medical specialists in state-of-the-art facilities compare primary care, secondary care
Examples of tertiary care in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2016, for instance, researchers reported an 88 percent survival rate for fifty consecutive cases of pong-pong poisoning at a tertiary care center in Kerala.
—
Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025
And despite being classified as tertiary care institutions meant for the sickest patients, university hospitals are chronically overcrowded because costs are low and primary care physicians give out referrals for even minor ailments.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024
In the past, patients transferred from emergency departments to tertiary care hospitals were excluded.
—Brian Stein and Bala Hota, STAT, 24 Aug. 2023
Many neighborhoods in the U.S. do not have tertiary care centers, or hospitals that provide specialized care.
—Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2023
At times in recent weeks, hospital staff have struggled to find a tertiary care hospital in the region that would accept a patient in need of more advanced treatment, Horner said, as these hospitals have been going on diversion more often.
—Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Aug. 2021
Our subjects were also typical of those seen in secondary and tertiary care in other centres.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 6 Jan. 2010
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Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025
And despite being classified as tertiary care institutions meant for the sickest patients, university hospitals are chronically overcrowded because costs are low and primary care physicians give out referrals for even minor ailments.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024
In the past, patients transferred from emergency departments to tertiary care hospitals were excluded.
—Brian Stein and Bala Hota, STAT, 24 Aug. 2023
Many neighborhoods in the U.S. do not have tertiary care centers, or hospitals that provide specialized care.
—Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2023
At times in recent weeks, hospital staff have struggled to find a tertiary care hospital in the region that would accept a patient in need of more advanced treatment, Horner said, as these hospitals have been going on diversion more often.
—Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Aug. 2021
Our subjects were also typical of those seen in secondary and tertiary care in other centres.
—Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 6 Jan. 2010
Cite this Entry
“Tertiary care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tertiary%20care. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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