CMS certification 010033
University of Alabama Hospital
619 South 19th Street, Birmingham, AL 35233
University of Alabama Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 78% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 4 and worse on 4. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 31 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min).
Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.
What patients said
Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 6,764 completed surveys, 19% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
Emergency department
How long emergency patients spent here and how some time-critical care went, from CMS's timely and effective care measures, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. CMS classes this emergency department's patient volume as very high; busier departments tend to have longer times, so the national median for departments of the same volume is shown too. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | AL | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 1,991 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 31 min | 2 h 29 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 125 visits sampled | 6 h 39 min | 3 h 32 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 142,026 patients | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 215 patients | 53% | 64% | 65% |
How University of Alabama Hospital compares with nearby hospitals
The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | CMS stars | Would recommend | ER median time | Vs the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama HospitalThis hospital | 2/5 | 78% | 3 h 31 min | 4 better 4 worse |
| Birmingham VA Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 73% | — | 2 better |
| St. Vincent's EastSame city | 3/5 | 69% | 2 h 38 min | 2 better 2 worse |
| Grandview Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 74% | 2 h 54 min | 5 better 5 worse |
| Princeton Baptist Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 62% | 2 h 44 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Baptist Health Brookwood HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 57% | 2 h 38 min | 3 better |
Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict. All hospitals in Birmingham.
Deaths
How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| All patients, hospital-wide 7,696 cases | Too few cases | 3.4% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 170 cases | Too few cases | 11.9% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 456 cases | Too few cases | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 308 cases | Too few cases | 12.2% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 778 cases | Too few cases | 10.8% | 11.9% |
| COPD 131 cases | Too few cases | 8.6% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 397 cases | Too few cases | 1.8% | 2.4% |
Complications
How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | No different | 1.16 likely 0.99 – 1.32 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 90 cases | Too few cases | 7.1% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 431 cases | Worse | 202.13 per 1,000 likely 174.63 per 1,000 – 229.62 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 13,942 cases | No different | 0.53 per 1,000 likely 0.17 per 1,000 – 0.89 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 15,277 cases | No different | 0.26 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.43 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 16,725 cases | No different | 0.38 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 0.55 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 5,896 cases | No different | 3.25 per 1,000 likely 2.33 per 1,000 – 4.16 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 3,307 cases | No different | 1.97 per 1,000 likely 1.02 per 1,000 – 2.92 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 3,142 cases | No different | 11.61 per 1,000 likely 8.87 per 1,000 – 14.36 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 6,646 cases | Worse | 4.94 per 1,000 likely 3.71 per 1,000 – 6.17 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 3,244 cases | No different | 5.28 per 1,000 likely 3.29 per 1,000 – 7.28 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 1,465 cases | No different | 1.95 per 1,000 likely 0.75 per 1,000 – 3.15 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 3,867 cases | No different | 1.56 per 1,000 likely 0.85 per 1,000 – 2.27 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
Infections caught in the hospital
Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | Better | 0.71 likely 0.51 – 0.96 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.52 likely 0.39 – 0.69 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.72 likely 0.47 – 1.06 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 1.64 likely 0.8 – 3.01 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.91 likely 0.65 – 1.24 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.4 likely 0.34 – 0.48 | 1 |
Readmissions and return visits
How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after a heart attack 574 cases | Too few cases | 16.3% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,295 cases | Too few cases | 21% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 599 cases | Too few cases | 16% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 383 cases | Too few cases | 18.4% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 493 cases | Too few cases | 12.8% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 86 cases | Too few cases | 8.1% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 302 cases | Too few cases | 51.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 560 cases | Too few cases | 15.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 312 cases | Too few cases | 2.8 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 1,827 cases | No different | 14.1 per 1,000 likely 11.2 per 1,000 – 18.1 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 860 cases | No different | 9.9 per 100 likely 8.2 per 100 – 11.6 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 860 cases | No different | 4.5 per 100 likely 3.4 per 100 – 5.7 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,246 cases | No different | 1.1 likely 0.9 – 1.3 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
859 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.
| Specialty | Clinicians |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 77 |
| Physician Assistant | 54 |
| Acute Care | 53 |
| Pharmacist | 51 |
| Internal Medicine | 45 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 40 |
| Anesthesiology | 39 |
| Anatomic Pathology | 31 |
| Emergency Medicine | 23 |
| Clinical | 20 |
| Neurology | 19 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 19 |
First 12 alphabetically
Money from drug and device companies
Drug and device makers have to report what they pay teaching hospitals to CMS's Open Payments program. At many teaching hospitals most of it is research funding, or royalties for inventions the hospital licensed to a company. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.
- 2019 $33.9M
- 2020 $42.2M
- 2021 $37.2M
- 2022 $35.6M
- 2023 $33.2M
- 2024 $43.7M
- 2025 $42.5M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $756,296 | 73 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $408,800 | 211 |
| Education | $301,095 | 12 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $297,885 | 58 |
| Royalties and licensing fees | $166,484 | 4 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $70,168 | 44 |
| Consulting fees | $58,901 | 12 |
| Gifts | $10,542 | 7 |
| Food and beverage | $786 | 14 |
| Debt forgiveness | $139 | 3 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Celgene Corporation | $3.5M | 21 |
| Amgen Inc. | $3.4M | 16 |
| Abbvie INC. | $3.2M | 108 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $2.8M | 291 |
| Pfizer INC. | $2.6M | 104 |
| Genentech, Inc. | $1.9M | 222 |
| E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $1.6M | 52 |
| Kyowa Kirin, INC. | $1.3M | 14 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Dosing KRYSTEXXA (pegloticase) + MTX in Participants Amgen Inc. | $2.9M |
| A Phase 1, Open-Label, Dose-Finding Study of BMS-986453, Dual Targeting BCMAxGPRC5D Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells, in Participants with Relapsed … Celgene Corporation | $1.4M |
| Single-Arm Phase II Study of Carboplatin and Mirvetuximab Soravtansine in First-Line Treatment of Patients receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Ad… ABBVIE INC. | $1.4M |
| PHASE I STUDY OF MOGAMULIZUMAB IN COMBINATION WITH BRENTUXIMAB VEDOTIN IN CUTANEOUS T-CELL LYMPHOMA AND MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES KYOWA KIRIN, INC. | $1.2M |
| RD007113 ROCHE MOLECULAR SYSTEMS, INC. | $1.2M |
| A PHASE 1 STUDY OF SGNPDL1V IN ADVANCED SOLID TUMORS PFIZER INC. | $1M |
| PHASE I STUDY OF MOGAMULIZUMAB M IN COMBINATION WITH BRENTUXIMAB VEDOTIN BV IN PREVIOUSLY TREATED SEZARY SYNDROME SS AND MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES MF PFIZER INC. | $972,350 |
| SpotFire Vaginitis Pivotal Study BioFire Diagnostics, LLC | $951,017 |
Amounts are as the paying companies reported them to CMS; Open Payments data retrieved 13 Sep 2026. Full record on CMS Open Payments.
How to read this page
- Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
- “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
- Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
- Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
- These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.
CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error
Common questions about University of Alabama Hospital
Is University of Alabama Hospital a good hospital?
University of Alabama Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 4 and worse on 4. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University of Alabama Hospital?
78% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 6,764 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University of Alabama Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 31 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with very high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 21 min. 2% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does University of Alabama Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $42.5M in payments to University of Alabama Hospital for 2025, most of it research funding, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.