CMS certification 010131
Crestwood Medical Center
One Hospital Dr SE, Huntsville, AL 35801
Crestwood Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 67% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 23 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 2. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 44 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: 859 completed surveys, 20% 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 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 · 418 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 22 min | 2 h 44 min | 2 h 29 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 48,403 patients | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 179 patients | 53% | 64% | 65% |
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 2,467 cases | Too few cases | 4.3% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 149 cases | Too few cases | 12% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 210 cases | Too few cases | 13.1% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 404 cases | Too few cases | 18% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 172 cases | Too few cases | 14.5% | 11.9% |
| COPD 100 cases | Too few cases | 8.4% | 8.6% |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 | 0.94 likely 0.58 – 1.31 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 44 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 51 cases | No different | 180.73 per 1,000 likely 124.88 per 1,000 – 236.59 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 3,354 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.07 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 4,648 cases | No different | 0.21 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 4,547 cases | No different | 0.31 per 1,000 likely 0.11 per 1,000 – 0.51 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,197 cases | No different | 1.83 per 1,000 likely 0.29 per 1,000 – 3.37 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 684 cases | No different | 1.56 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.23 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 679 cases | No different | 9.98 per 1,000 likely 2.41 per 1,000 – 17.55 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,215 cases | Worse | 5.93 per 1,000 likely 3.81 per 1,000 – 8.05 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 662 cases | No different | 3.89 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 7.64 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 339 cases | No different | 1.69 per 1,000 likely 0.19 per 1,000 – 3.19 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,041 cases | No different | 0.85 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.84 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) | No different | 0 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.36 likely 0.02 – 1.79 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0.41 likely 0.02 – 2.04 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.17 likely 0.04 – 0.47 | 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 191 cases | Too few cases | 14.7% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 324 cases | Too few cases | 22% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 498 cases | Too few cases | 18.1% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 177 cases | Too few cases | 19.6% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 41 cases | Too few cases | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 142 cases | Too few cases | -16.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 238 cases | Too few cases | 65.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 392 cases | Too few cases | 17.5 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 2,659 cases | No different | 12.7 per 1,000 likely 10.2 per 1,000 – 16 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,117 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.8 – 1.2 | — |
4 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 Crestwood Medical Center
Is Crestwood Medical Center a good hospital?
Crestwood Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 23 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 2. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Crestwood Medical Center?
67% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 859 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Crestwood Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 44 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 22 min. 0% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.