PHP (partial hospitalization program)
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is intensive day treatment for mental health or substance use disorders that runs for several hours a day on most weekdays while the patient lives at home or in supportive housing.
Also called partial hospitalization, day treatment, high-intensity outpatient
- Last reviewed
- 2 sources, linked
- 4 related terms
What it means
PHP sits between residential care and IOP. Medicare, for example, covers partial hospitalization for patients who need a minimum of 20 hours of program services a week. Commercial plans set their own criteria.
The third edition of the ASAM Criteria called this Level 2.5 partial hospitalization. The fourth edition keeps Level 2.5 but names it high-intensity outpatient. Many programs still say PHP, because that is the term families, insurers and referral sources use.
Why it matters for your website
The question a PHP page has to answer is time: which days, what hours, for how many weeks, and how someone gets there. In our 7 October 2026 read of 66 IOP and PHP pages from 36 providers, 42 gave hours for their own program and only 13 printed session times.
Give PHP and IOP separate pages with their own schedules, and link each one to the level above and below it so a family can see the whole path.
Sources
The facts on this page about a law, a regulator, a clinical standard or a platform come from these sources. Each link opens the original in a new tab.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCY 2024 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule fact sheet (CMS-1786-FC) (opens in a new tab)
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, SAPCASAM Criteria 4th Edition Implementation (levels of care and dimensions) (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed
This entry explains a clinical term so you can describe your care accurately on your website. It is not medical advice, and clinical decisions belong with your clinical team.
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