A total of 73 patients with acute pneumonia received two-stage treatment: etiotropic treatment based on early etiological diagnosis (at hospital) and subsequent early rehabilitation at sanatorium with the use of peloid therapy. It made it possible to attain the best short-term results in the treatment of pneumonias (as compared with control group patients), to shorten 2-4-fold the times of the patients' stay at hospital and to raise bed capacity, to reduce the total doses and duration of antibacterial therapy, to decrease the possibility of the allergic reactions and side effects, and to reduce 2-fold the cost of antibacterial therapy.