Classification of Chinese hospitals

According to the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, hospitals in China have been classified since at least 2008 in a 3-tier system that recognizes a hospital's ability to provide medical care, medical education, and conduct medical research. Hospitals are designated as Primary, Secondary or Tertiary hospitals.
Further, based on the level of service provision, size, medical technology, medical equipment, and management and medical quality, these 3 grades are further subdivided into 3 subsidiary levels: A, B and C (甲[jiǎ], 乙[yǐ], 丙[bǐng]). This results in a total of 9 levels. In addition, one special level – 3AAA (三级特等) –is reserved for the most specialized hospitals, though no hospitals have yet been placed in this level. This system is hence referred to in Chinese as 三级十等 (sānjí shíděng), 3 Grades and 10 levels.
In 2015, the Ministry of Health's National Health and Family Planning Commission, used the terms "community hospital" and "top level hospital" in describing hospital planning. 