A partial hospitalization program, or PHP, gives you 6 to 8 hours of intensive treatment a day, 5 days a week, while you sleep at home — the most support you can get without checking into a residential facility. Often called day treatment, a PHP is the bridge between inpatient rehab and less intensive outpatient care, built for people who are medically stable and have a safe home but still need serious, structured help.
This guide explains what a PHP is, what happens in one, the hours and length, what it costs, how it compares with IOP and inpatient care, and who it's right for. Updated May 2026. Reviewed by the RehabPulse editorial team. This is educational, not medical advice.
The 60-second answer
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What is it? | Day treatment — intensive care, you sleep at home |
| Hours per day? | About 6–8 hours |
| Days per week? | Usually 5, often 30–40 hours total |
| How long? | Typically 2–6 weeks |
| Cost? | About $350–$800/day; often insurance-covered |
| vs IOP? | PHP is more hours and more clinical/medical support |
| vs inpatient? | Same daytime intensity, but you go home at night |
| Who's it for? | Medically stable people with a safe home, high needs |
The single most important point: most people don't know that a PHP gives nearly inpatient-level treatment without the overnight stay — at lower cost. It delivers the same intensive daytime therapy as residential rehab but lets you return home each evening, which makes it both more affordable and more livable for people who don't need 24-hour supervision. The clinical test is "medical necessity": a PHP is for someone who would otherwise likely need hospitalization.
Picture this: someone is too unstable for a few weekly therapy sessions but doesn't need 24/7 monitoring. A PHP fills that exact gap — full days of structured treatment, then home to sleep in their own bed and practice recovery in real life. Without PHP, they'd be over-treated by inpatient or under-treated by standard outpatient.
Imagine someone leaving a 30-day residential program who isn't ready to drop straight to weekly sessions. Stepping down to a PHP first, then to an IOP, gives a graded landing — intensity that tapers as they stabilize, instead of a cliff edge back into daily life.
What happens in a PHP
A PHP packs a full clinical day into structured programming:
- Group therapy — the core of most days, building skills and accountability
- Individual therapy — one-on-one work on triggers, trauma, and goals
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and often dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Medication management — including medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder where appropriate, covered in medication-assisted treatment
- Family therapy — to rebuild support and communication
- Relapse-prevention planning and psychoeducation
- Co-occurring care — treating mental health conditions alongside addiction, as in dual diagnosis treatment
The treatment is essentially what you'd get in residential rehab during the day — see what happens in rehab — minus the overnight stay.
Hours, schedule, and duration
PHP is defined by its intensity: federal guidance describes it as providing more than six hours of treatment per day.
| Element | Typical |
|---|---|
| Hours per day | About 6–8 hours |
| Days per week | 5 |
| Weekly hours | Roughly 30–40 |
| Program length | 2–6 weeks |
| Where you sleep | At home |
Most PHPs run daytime sessions on weekdays, so it's a full commitment — closer to a full-time job than a few appointments. As someone stabilizes, they typically step down to an intensive outpatient program and then standard outpatient care.
A typical day in a PHP
A PHP day is structured like a full clinical schedule. While programs vary, a common weekday looks like this:
- Morning check-in and goal-setting — a brief group to set intentions and flag anyone struggling.
- Mid-morning group therapy — the core work, covering topics like coping skills, triggers, and relapse prevention.
- Lunch — often provided, with informal peer connection.
- Early afternoon — individual therapy or a specialized group such as trauma, DBT skills, or family session.
- Late afternoon — medication management, psychoeducation, or a wellness activity, then a closing check-out.
- Evening at home — you return home to rest, apply skills in real life, and ideally attend a support meeting.
That's roughly 6–8 hours of treatment, after which you go home — the feature that distinguishes PHP from residential care. Returning home each night isn't just cheaper; it lets people practice new skills in their actual environment and bring real-world challenges back to the next day's therapy. As stability grows, the schedule steps down in intensity rather than stopping abruptly.
How much does a PHP cost?
PHP costs less than inpatient care because there's no overnight room and board, but more than IOP because of the higher daily hours and clinical support.
| Program | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Inpatient / residential | $400–$900+ per day |
| PHP | $350–$800 per day |
| IOP | Less than PHP per day |
| Standard outpatient | Lowest |
Over a typical 2–6 week PHP, total costs commonly run about $5,000–$20,000, with national data putting the average around $350–$450 per day. The good news: federal law requires insurance to cover PHP, and most plans, including Medicare, cover it with a copay or coinsurance. Verify your benefits and authorization first, and see how much rehab costs and how to pay for rehab for the full picture.
PHP vs IOP vs inpatient vs outpatient
Knowing where PHP sits clarifies the choice.
| Level | Intensity | Sleep | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inpatient / residential | 24/7 care | At facility | Crisis, medical instability, unsafe home |
| PHP | 6–8 hrs/day, 5 days/week | At home | High needs, medically stable, safe home |
| IOP | 9–19 hrs/week | At home | Moderate needs, work/family obligations |
| Standard outpatient | A few hours/week | At home | Mild cases, long-term maintenance |
PHP and IOP are often confused. The difference is dose: a PHP runs most of the day, five days a week, with more clinical and medical support, while an IOP runs about 9–19 hours a week. Many people step down from PHP to IOP as they improve. For the broader comparison, see outpatient versus inpatient rehab, and note that PHP usually follows detox rather than replacing it.
Who is a PHP right for?
A PHP is the right level of care when most of these are true:
- Medically stable — no need for 24-hour monitoring or active detox
- A safe, sober home to return to each night
- High treatment needs — more than weekly or even IOP-level sessions can provide
- Stepping down from inpatient and wanting a graded transition
- Stepping up from outpatient that isn't enough to hold recovery
- Motivated to participate fully in a demanding daily schedule
It's not the right fit for someone in crisis, medically unstable, needing detox, or without a safe place to stay at night — those situations call for inpatient care first, often stepping down to PHP afterward.
Does PHP work?
For appropriately matched people, PHP is an effective, evidence-based level of care. It delivers the intensive, structured treatment of residential rehab while letting people practice recovery in their real environment each evening — which can strengthen the skills that prevent relapse. As with any level of care, success depends on honest assessment so the intensity fits the need, full participation, a supportive home, and solid aftercare such as IOP, support groups, and sometimes sober living. The broader point about treatment effectiveness applies here too — see does rehab work.
Frequently asked questions
What is a partial hospitalization program (PHP)? A PHP, or day treatment, is an intensive outpatient level of care providing about 6–8 hours of treatment a day, usually five days a week, while you live at home. It offers nearly inpatient-level therapy — group and individual counseling, CBT, medication management — without the overnight stay.
How many hours is a PHP? PHPs typically run 6–8 hours a day, five days a week, totaling roughly 30–40 hours weekly, over a program length of about 2–6 weeks. Federal guidance defines a PHP as providing more than six hours of treatment per day.
How much does a PHP cost? A PHP commonly costs about $350–$800 per day, with national averages around $350–$450, and total program costs of roughly $5,000–$20,000 over 2–6 weeks. Federal law requires insurance to cover PHP, and most plans, including Medicare, cover it with a copay or coinsurance.
What's the difference between PHP and IOP? A PHP runs most of the day, five days a week, with more clinical and medical support, while an intensive outpatient program runs about 9–19 hours a week. PHP is for higher needs; IOP suits people who need significant support but can manage with less daily structure. Many step down from PHP to IOP.
Is PHP the same as inpatient rehab? No. A PHP provides the same intensive daytime therapy as inpatient care but you return home at night, so it costs less and suits people who are medically stable with a safe home. Inpatient care offers 24-hour supervision for those in crisis or who are medically unstable.
Who is a good candidate for a PHP? Someone who is medically stable, has a safe and sober home, and needs intensive support but not round-the-clock supervision — often a person stepping down from inpatient or stepping up from outpatient care, and who is motivated to participate in a full daily schedule.
Sources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) / Medicare. Partial hospitalization program coverage. medicare.gov
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Levels of care, including partial hospitalization. samhsa.gov
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Treatment and Recovery. nida.nih.gov
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Helpline — 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free and confidential 24/7. samhsa.gov
- SAMHSA. FindTreatment.gov treatment locator. findtreatment.gov
