# Levels of care in eating disorder treatment

What the four treatment settings mean — inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization and outpatient — and the questions that tell them apart.

Updated 2026-10-20. Also on the [web page](https://eatingdisorder.fyi/guides/levels-of-care).

Eating disorder treatment in the US happens in four main settings. SAMHSA's facility survey records the settings each facility reports, and this directory lists them as "levels of care". A clinician chooses the level after an assessment — the names below help you understand that recommendation.

## Outpatient

Scheduled sessions — therapy, dietitian visits, medical checks — while you live at home and keep school, work or caregiving. Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) meet several days a week for a few hours. SAMHSA's mental-health survey does not report intensive outpatient separately, so an IOP may appear here as "outpatient"; ask the program.

## Partial hospitalization (PHP)

A full day of structured programming — typically five to seven days a week — with supervised meals, while you sleep at home. Programs call it day treatment too. It is the middle step between living at a facility and living at home.

## Residential

You live at a non-hospital facility during treatment: meals, groups and medical checks on site, around the clock. Residential is for people who are medically stable enough to leave hospital but need 24-hour support.

## Inpatient

Hospital-level, 24-hour care for medical stabilization or an acute psychiatric need — the highest intensity setting, usually the shortest stay. Discharge typically steps down to residential or PHP.

## Questions that tell them apart

Ask each program: How many days a week and how many hours a day? Are meals supervised, and which ones? Is a doctor on site or on call at all hours? Who decides when a client steps up or down a level? What does a week of programming look like, hour by hour?

## Where the data comes from

The service settings on each listing come from SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov, which republishes the facility's N-SUMHSS survey answers. Settings change: confirm the current program with the facility before you decide.

*This guide is information, not medical advice. In a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 in the US, or call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.*

## Sources

- [SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov, Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator](https://findtreatment.gov/)
- [FindTreatment API developer guide](https://findtreatment.gov/assets/FindTreatment-Developer-Guide.pdf)
- [Eating Disorder Directory, about this site](https://eatingdisorder.fyi/)

## Questions

### Which level of care do I need?

A clinician decides that after an assessment of medical risk, symptoms and daily needs. This guide explains the settings so you can understand the recommendation, not so you can diagnose yourself.

### What does SAMHSA's data say about each program?

Each listing on this site is a facility that told SAMHSA's national survey it runs a program or group for persons with eating disorders. The survey names the service settings it reports, not the diagnoses it treats.

### What if I or someone I know is in crisis?

In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency. This site is a directory, not a crisis service.

> **Not medical advice.** This site is a directory of eating disorder treatment programs. It is not medical advice, and a listing is not an endorsement of any program. Talk to a doctor or other qualified clinician before you start, stop or change treatment. Listings can be out of date: confirm services, hours and insurance with the program before you decide. In a medical or mental health emergency call 911 in the US, or call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. To report a mistake, write to hello@eatingdisorder.fyi.