CMS certification 050072
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek
1425 S Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 70% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 8 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on none.
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: 633 completed surveys, 26% 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 | CA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 132 patients | 63% | 70% | 65% |
How Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut CreekThis hospital | 3/5 | 70% | — | 2 better |
| John Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek CampusSame city | 2/5 | 77% | 2 h 51 min | 8 better 5 worse |
| San Ramon Regional Medical CenterSame county · San Ramon | 4/5 | 65% | 2 h 31 min | 1 worse |
| Contra Costa Regional Medical CenterSame county · Martinez | 4/5 | 73% | 2 h 51 min | 2 better 1 worse |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - AntiochSame county · Antioch | 1/5 | 73% | — | 1 better 1 worse |
| John Muir Medical Center - Concord CampusSame county · Concord | 4/5 | 77% | 2 h 25 min | 3 better 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. All hospitals in Walnut Creek.
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 3,449 cases | Too few cases | 4.2% | 3.9% |
| Stroke 264 cases | Too few cases | 9% | 11.9% |
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 | 1.14 likely 0.67 – 1.6 | 1 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 528 cases | No different | 0.45 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.59 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 606 cases | No different | 0.2 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.43 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 612 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 92 cases | No different | 2.28 per 1,000 likely 0.56 per 1,000 – 3.99 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 30 cases | No different | 14.08 per 1,000 likely 4.29 per 1,000 – 23.88 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 103 cases | No different | 3.35 per 1,000 likely 0.76 per 1,000 – 5.94 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 36 cases | No different | 1.75 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 3.27 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 126 cases | No different | 1.02 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.1 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | No different | 0.8 likely 0.32 – 1.66 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.03 likely 0.45 – 2.04 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.86 likely 0.81 – 3.68 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.3 likely 0.02 – 1.47 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.2 likely 0.1 – 0.37 | 1 |
1 more measure 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 a heart attack 296 cases | Too few cases | 13.6% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 764 cases | Too few cases | 22.9% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 723 cases | Too few cases | 20.3% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 161 cases | Too few cases | 19.6% | 20% |
10 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
738 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 |
|---|---|
| Pharmacist | 79 |
| Emergency Medicine | 67 |
| Internal Medicine | 53 |
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 35 |
| Hospitalist | 33 |
| Anesthesiology | 29 |
| Pediatrics | 25 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 24 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 20 |
| Physical Therapist | 18 |
| Gastroenterology | 16 |
| Clinical | 15 |
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 $1,347
- 2020 $145,804
- 2021 $392,386
- 2022 $595,686
- 2023 $398,827
- 2024 $15,551
- 2025 $139,003
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $139,003 | 2 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Adjuvant MK-2870 in Combination with Pembrolizumab MK-3475 Versus Trea… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $135,963 |
| A Randomized, Open-label, Phase 3 Study of MK-2870 vs. Platinum Doublets in Participants with EGFR-mutated, Advanced Non-squamous Non-small Cell Lung… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $3,040 |
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 Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek
Is Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek a good hospital?
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 8 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek?
70% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 633 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek.
Does Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $139,003 in payments to Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek 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.