CMS certification 050334
Salinas Valley Health Medical Center
450 East Romie Lane, Salinas, CA 93901
Salinas Valley Health Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 74% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 24 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 17 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: 1,383 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 · 413 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 17 min | 2 h 54 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 67,309 patients | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 11 patients | 73% | 74% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 198 patients | 60% | 70% | 65% |
How Salinas Valley Health Medical Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas Valley Health Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 74% | 3 h 17 min | 2 better 1 worse |
| Natividad Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 71% | 2 h 38 min | 1 better |
| Southern Monterey County Memorial HospitalSame county · King City | Not rated | 64% | 1 h 14 min | No different |
| Community Hospital of the Monterey PeninsulaSame county · Monterey | 4/5 | 84% | 2 h 46 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 Salinas.
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 2,377 cases | Too few cases | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 203 cases | Too few cases | 12.2% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 573 cases | Too few cases | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 536 cases | Too few cases | 13% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 239 cases | Too few cases | 12.1% | 11.9% |
| COPD 160 cases | Too few cases | 6.9% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 112 cases | Too few cases | 1.7% | 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 | 0.98 likely 0.68 – 1.29 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 62 cases | No different | 198.42 per 1,000 likely 143.23 per 1,000 – 253.6 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 6,011 cases | No different | 0.48 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.11 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 7,593 cases | No different | 0.18 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.37 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 7,999 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.43 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,325 cases | No different | 2.31 per 1,000 likely 0.87 per 1,000 – 3.76 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 456 cases | No different | 1.7 per 1,000 likely 0.16 per 1,000 – 3.24 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 461 cases | No different | 9.78 per 1,000 likely 3.73 per 1,000 – 15.83 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,428 cases | No different | 3.97 per 1,000 likely 1.83 per 1,000 – 6.1 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 453 cases | No different | 5.23 per 1,000 likely 1.52 per 1,000 – 8.95 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 279 cases | No different | 1.65 per 1,000 likely 0.17 per 1,000 – 3.13 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,159 cases | No different | 1.32 per 1,000 likely 0.34 per 1,000 – 2.3 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
1 more measure 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 | 1.08 likely 0.18 – 3.58 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.49 likely 0.38 – 4.05 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.37 likely 0.02 – 1.84 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.43 likely 0.02 – 2.13 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.25 likely 0.1 – 0.51 | 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 197 cases | Too few cases | 14.5% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 491 cases | Too few cases | 22.2% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 485 cases | Too few cases | 18.1% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 158 cases | Too few cases | 20.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 86 cases | Too few cases | 10.9% | 11% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 224 cases | Too few cases | 18.2 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 660 cases | Too few cases | 8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 569 cases | Too few cases | -0.3 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 197 cases | No different | 13.4 per 1,000 likely 9.9 per 1,000 – 17.9 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 244 cases | No different | 11 per 100 likely 8.4 per 100 – 14.3 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 244 cases | No different | 5.9 per 100 likely 4.2 per 100 – 8.4 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 489 cases | No different | 1.2 likely 0.9 – 1.5 | — |
2 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
131 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 |
|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine | 30 |
| Hospitalist | 28 |
| Physician Assistant | 16 |
| Anesthesiology | 14 |
| Internal Medicine | 8 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 6 |
| Family Medicine | 5 |
| Pharmacist | 4 |
| Lactation Consultant | 3 |
| Critical Care Medicine | 2 |
| Family | 2 |
| Specialist | 2 |
First 12 alphabetically
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 Salinas Valley Health Medical Center
Is Salinas Valley Health Medical Center a good hospital?
Salinas Valley Health Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 24 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Salinas Valley Health Medical Center?
74% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,383 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Salinas Valley Health Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 17 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. 1% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.