CMS certification 030071
Fort Defiance Indian Hospital
PO Box 649, Ft. Defiance, AZ 86504
CMS does not publish an overall star rating for Fort Defiance Indian Hospital. 62% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. On all 7 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it is no different from the national rate.
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: 154 completed surveys, 10% 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. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | AZ | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 59 patients | 24% | 59% | 65% |
How Fort Defiance Indian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Defiance Indian HospitalThis hospital | Not rated | 62% | — | No different |
| Chinle Comprehensive Health Care FacilitySame county · Chinle | Not rated | 46% | — | 1 worse |
| Sage Memorial HospitalSame county · Ganado | Not rated | 66% | — | 1 worse |
| White Mountain Regional Medical CenterSame county · Springerville | Not rated | 80% | 2 h 14 min | 1 worse |
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.
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 251 cases | Too few cases | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Pneumonia 69 cases | Too few cases | 14.5% | 15.2% |
5 more measures 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 | 0.97 likely 0.47 – 1.47 | 1 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 538 cases | No different | 0.54 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.79 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 984 cases | No different | 0.2 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 1,012 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 37 cases | No different | 2.33 per 1,000 likely 0.59 per 1,000 – 4.06 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 37 cases | No different | 3.5 per 1,000 likely 0.85 per 1,000 – 6.14 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 37 cases | No different | 1.05 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.15 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
6 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. diff intestinal infections | No different | 0.84 likely 0.14 – 2.79 | 1 |
5 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 pneumonia 55 cases | Too few cases | 17.8% | 17.3% |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 83 cases | Too few cases | -2.3 days per 100 | — |
12 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 Fort Defiance Indian Hospital
Is Fort Defiance Indian Hospital a good hospital?
CMS does not publish an overall star rating for Fort Defiance Indian Hospital. On all 7 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it is no different from the national rate. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Fort Defiance Indian Hospital?
62% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 154 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Fort Defiance Indian Hospital have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital.