CMS certification 050025
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 75% 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 10 and worse on 2. Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 19 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: 3,680 completed surveys, 16% 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 | CA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 335 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 4 h 19 min | 2 h 54 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 21 visits sampled | 5 h 34 min | 4 h 20 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 121,683 patients | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 136 patients | 55% | 70% | 65% |
How Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med CtrThis hospital | 5/5 | 75% | 4 h 19 min | 10 better 2 worse |
| Scripps Mercy HospitalSame city | 4/5 | 69% | 3 h 14 min | 4 better 3 worse |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San DiegoSame city | 4/5 | 77% | — | 3 better |
| Sharp Memorial HospitalSame city | 4/5 | 81% | 3 h 17 min | 4 better 2 worse |
| NMC San DiegoSame city | Not rated | 77% | 2 h 46 min | — |
| VA San Diego Healthcare SystemSame city | 5/5 | 74% | — | 3 better 2 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. All hospitals in San Diego.
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 5,739 cases | Too few cases | 2.1% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 183 cases | Too few cases | 9.1% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 510 cases | Too few cases | 7.8% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 696 cases | Too few cases | 11% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 435 cases | Too few cases | 9.4% | 11.9% |
| COPD 116 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 130 cases | Too few cases | 1.4% | 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 | 1.02 likely 0.84 – 1.2 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 181 cases | Too few cases | 3.5% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 381 cases | Better | 105.39 per 1,000 likely 74.34 per 1,000 – 136.44 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 11,838 cases | No different | 0.38 per 1,000 likely 0.02 per 1,000 – 0.75 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 12,387 cases | No different | 0.15 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.32 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 13,596 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.1 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 4,116 cases | No different | 2.26 per 1,000 likely 1.23 per 1,000 – 3.29 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 2,419 cases | No different | 1.04 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.12 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 2,232 cases | No different | 9.93 per 1,000 likely 6.61 per 1,000 – 13.25 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 4,389 cases | No different | 4.59 per 1,000 likely 3.24 per 1,000 – 5.94 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 2,410 cases | No different | 7.31 per 1,000 likely 5.24 per 1,000 – 9.38 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 1,286 cases | No different | 2.32 per 1,000 likely 1.07 per 1,000 – 3.56 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 3,862 cases | No different | 0.83 per 1,000 likely 0.11 per 1,000 – 1.54 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 | 0.62 likely 0.41 – 0.9 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.6 likely 0.39 – 0.87 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Better | 0.38 likely 0.15 – 0.78 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0.67 likely 0.11 – 2.22 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.72 likely 0.41 – 1.17 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.38 likely 0.29 – 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 302 cases | Too few cases | 14.5% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 891 cases | Too few cases | 19.3% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 946 cases | Too few cases | 15.7% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 204 cases | Too few cases | 19.7% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 177 cases | Too few cases | 9.7% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 191 cases | Too few cases | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 216 cases | Too few cases | 3.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 620 cases | Too few cases | 5.9 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 731 cases | Too few cases | 12 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 4,116 cases | No different | 10.4 per 1,000 likely 8.5 per 1,000 – 13 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 1,507 cases | No different | 12.3 per 100 likely 10.7 per 100 – 14 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 1,507 cases | No different | 5.9 per 100 likely 4.8 per 100 – 7 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 2,130 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.7 – 1 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
3,029 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 467 residents and trainees. 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 |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 188 |
| Internal Medicine | 183 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 177 |
| Emergency Medicine | 174 |
| Psychiatry | 124 |
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 111 |
| Pharmacist | 110 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 106 |
| Hospitalist | 99 |
| Physician Assistant | 95 |
| Clinical | 82 |
| Neurology | 71 |
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 $766,337
- 2020 $1.9M
- 2021 $1.1M
- 2022 $898,104
- 2023 $3.9M
- 2024 $2.3M
- 2025 $2.6M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Gifts | $477,960 | 3 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $319,203 | 55 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $75,960 | 17 |
| Grants | $75,153 | 8 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $70,325 | 16 |
| Debt forgiveness | $20,963 | 9 |
| Education | $16,060 | 5 |
| Food and beverage | $2,144 | 2 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| United Imaging Healthcare North America, Inc. | $473,400 | 1 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $414,562 | 36 |
| Transmedics, INC. | $327,209 | 10 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $209,246 | 5 |
| Intuitive Surgical, INC. | $154,800 | 24 |
| Distalmotion US | $136,395 | 18 |
| Gen-Probe, Inc. | $95,997 | 1 |
| ITF Therapeutics LLC | $89,558 | 5 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| OCS-LIVER-OLP-II TRANSMEDICS, INC. | $302,194 |
| 2022-PCOR-200233 PRECLINICAL STUDIES OF TAK-981 IN PANCREATIC CANCER MODELS Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $272,400 |
| Expanded Access Protocol to Provide Patisiran to Patients With Transthyretin-mediated Amyloidosis (ATTR Amyloidosis) With Cardiomyopathy Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $148,333 |
| Clinical Performance Evaluation of Viral Load Assays for the Detection and Quantitation of HIV-1, HCV and HBV in Plasma Samples Tested on Aptima, Ali… Gen-Probe, Inc. | $95,997 |
| Open Label, Long-term Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy Study of GIVINOSTAT in All DMD Patients Who Have Been Previously Treated in One of the GIVIN… ITF Therapeutics LLC · NCT03373968 | $89,558 |
| ALL-RISE CathWorks, Inc. | $83,260 |
| Performance study of MiniCollect CAT Serum Sep and MiniCollect Lithium Heparin Sep blood collection tubes Greiner Bio-One North America, Inc. | $77,899 |
| A Phase 1 Study of ALN-BCAT as Monotherapy and in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $60,913 |
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 Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
Is Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr a good hospital?
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 10 and worse on 2. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr?
75% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 3,680 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 19 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. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $2.6M in payments to Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr 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.