Purpose This paper presents the initial results of a project on organizational and professional cultures prevalent in hospital organizations. The purpose of this paper is to identify the cultural differences that make it possible to anticipate, with the aid of subsequent studies, consequences in the communication and coordination of the future integration of the Mexican public health system, which is currently fragmented. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative tool was used to identify the cultures in a secondary-level public hospital. Findings The diversity inherent to hospital organizations was confirmed. Originality/value The real value of the findings lies in the classification of the subcultures and their possible effects on human interaction and cooperation.