Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Hospital color codes, and what they mean

Ben Gold, MD
Physician
February 9, 2017
169 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Hospitals have lots of codes. The most famous one is Code Blue (medical emergency), but it turns out there are lots of color-based codes. This can be confusing, as the connection between the code colors and the situations they represent are usually tenuous at best. Today we explore all of the types of codes, and shed some light these arcane medical euphemisms.

Code Blue

What it sounds like it means: Aggressively-scented cologne from Armani.

What it actually means: Adult medical emergency, CPR response team required

Medical perspective: Someone is (technically) dead, and we are going to try to make them not dead.

Code Red

What it sounds like it means: Xtreme Mountain Dew energy drink

What it actually means: The building is on fire

Medical perspective: I’m completely at a loss on this one. Why not just call it a fire? Who are we protecting by changing the name? Code Red, Code Red, everyone evacuate the building, so your body doesn’t catch on code red. Hey, when this is all over, let’s all go back to my place and roast marshmallows over a nice cozy code red!

Code Green

What it sounds like it means: San Francisco-based education startup that teaches children C++ and Java while instilling in them the values of environmental stewardship and conservation. The kids help write software to run large wind turbines, which in turn power the computers they learn on.

What it actually means: Behavioral emergency

Medical perspective: These can get weird. I once had a patient threaten to summon a meteor ‘the size of Texas’ to smite me.

Code Orange

What it sounds like it means: What the leaders of every other government in the world secretly whispered into their headsets on November 7th, 2016.

What it actually means: Hazardous material spill

Medical perspective: “Isolate and evacuate,” which is the official tagline of hazardous spills.

Code Pink

What it sounds like it means: This one is really sad.

What it actually means: Infant abduction

Medical perspective: Ugh. I can’t think of anything witty. Infant abductors deserve life sentences.

Code Grey

What it sounds like it means: When Anderson Cooper brings the thunder. He is Zeus, and probing, hard-hitting questions are his lightning bolts.

What it actually means: Loss of essential services / infrastructure failure

Medical perspective: Again, seems like we are unnecessarily steeping ourselves in mystery here:

“Code Grey!”

“What?”

“Code Grey!!”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Loss of essential services and/or infrastructure failure!”

“What?”

“The basement’s flooded and the computers are down.”

“Why didn’t you just say that instead?”

“No time!!”

“Why?”

“GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!”

Code Black

What it sounds like it means: If Michael Bay ever got creative control over the James Bond franchise, there’s an 85 percent chance this is the name of the first movie.

What it actually means: Bomb threat

Medical perspective: If a doctor ever describes themselves to you as being “the bomb” at their procedure, go with a different doctor.

Code Purple

What it sounds like it means: Project Runway-style fashion show on Bravo where a team of style experts are dispatched to people’s houses 30 minutes before a major social event to spiff up their look.

What it actually means: Hostage situation

Medical perspective: [Code Purple team, to disgruntled patient]: “Trust me, I’d be desperate too if I had to wear that hospital gown a second longer than I had to.”

Ben Gold is a physician who blogs at his self-titled site, Ben Gold, M.D.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How the government hiring freeze dishonors veterans

February 8, 2017 Kevin 1
…
Next

Don't repeal the ACA without a replacement

February 9, 2017 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How the government hiring freeze dishonors veterans
Next Post >
Don't repeal the ACA without a replacement

More by Ben Gold, MD

  • How the influence of a grandfather affects this physician

    Ben Gold, MD
  • The physician’s relationship with the beeper

    Ben Gold, MD
  • Hospital sushi and the 5 stages of grief

    Ben Gold, MD

Related Posts

  • Don’t judge when trainees use dating apps in the hospital

    Austin Perlmutter, MD
  • When physician pay packages become hospital kickbacks

    Jordan Rau
  • 5 challenges of working in a county hospital

    Pranav Sharma, MD
  • Hospital administrators thinking about no-cost treatment which really helps patients

    John Corsino, DPT
  • What do hospital discounts really mean?

    Robert S. Berry, MD
  • Redefining what a hospital library should be

    Abeer Arain, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

    Sarah Samaan, MD
  • Lively communication in the service industry

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

    Kim Downey, PT
  • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

    Randall S. Fong, MD
  • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

    Brian Hudes, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Black Patients at Higher Risk for Physical Restraint in the ED
  • Compassion Is a Learnable Skill
  • When a Video Visit Leads to Real Connection
  • Smaller Lesions, Better Baseline Visual Acuity Bode Well for Submacular Hemorrhage
  • COVID Conspiracies Return; Norovirus on the Hiking Trail; 2nd Pig Heart Transplanted

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

      Sarah Samaan, MD | Physician
    • Levamisole is good for your dog, but bad for your cocaine

      Robert Killeen, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Hospital color codes, and what they mean
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...