Types of Hospitals graphic by Laura Murphy



  1. What are the different types of emergency departments (EDs)?

The Emergency Medicine Network collects information for two types of emergency departments (EDs):

  • EDs within hospitals, otherwise known as hospital-based EDs
  • freestanding EDs (FSEDs), which can be satellite or autonomous FSEDs

The Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet) collects data about both types of EDs as part of the National ED-Inventory USA.

2. What is an FSED?

The Emergency Medicine Network and the American College of Emergency Physicians define a freestanding emergency department (FSED) as an emergency facility that is open 24/7 and not physically connected to inpatient services. This means that that an FSED does not connect to a main hospital but rather is located at a different site.

3. What are the differences between a satellite FSED and an autonomous FSED?

A satellite freestanding emergency department (satellite FSED) is run by a hospital; an autonomous freestanding emergency department (autonomous FSED), however, operates independently of any hospital ownership.

4. Are FSEDs included in findERnow?

Yes! The Emergency Medicine Network’s NEDI-USA uniquely considers the differences between satellite and autonomous freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs). We present facility-specific visit volumes, location, and GPS directions to these different FSEDs in our app.