A "proprietary hospital" may also be referred to as a private hospital or a for-profit hospital. These terms emphasize that the hospital is privately owned and operated by a corporation, rather than being government-funded or operated by a non-profit organization. Another synonym for a proprietary hospital is an investor-owned hospital, as it is often funded by investors looking to make a profit. Depending on the context, other terms that may be used to describe this type of hospital include corporate hospital, chain hospital, or commercial hospital. Essentially, all of these synonyms point to the idea that the hospital is run as a business, rather than a public service.