CMS certification 050396
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
400 West Pueblo, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 85% 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 5 and worse on 3. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 5 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: 3,306 completed surveys, 29% 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 | CA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 378 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 22 min | 3 h 5 min | 2 h 54 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 28 visits sampled | 3 h 42 min | 4 h 20 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 57,827 patients | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 893 patients | 64% | 70% | 65% |
How Santa Barbara Cottage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Cottage HospitalThis hospital | 4/5 | 85% | 3 h 5 min | 5 better 3 worse |
| Goleta Valley Cottage HospitalSame city | 5/5 | 85% | 2 h 29 min | 1 better 1 worse |
| Lompoc Valley Medical CenterSame county · Lompoc | 1/5 | 45% | 2 h 51 min | 4 worse |
| Marian Regional Medical CenterSame county · Santa Maria | 3/5 | 68% | 2 h 55 min | 3 better 3 worse |
| Santa Ynez Valley Cottage HospitalSame county · Solvang | Not rated | 91% | 2 h 21 min | No different |
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 Santa Barbara.
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 4,479 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 246 cases | Too few cases | 10.5% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 664 cases | Too few cases | 12.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 843 cases | Too few cases | 13.5% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 505 cases | Too few cases | 10.9% | 11.9% |
| COPD 127 cases | Too few cases | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 93 cases | Too few cases | 1.5% | 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 | 0.94 likely 0.7 – 1.18 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 254 cases | Too few cases | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 179 cases | No different | 177.7 per 1,000 likely 138.01 per 1,000 – 217.4 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 9,175 cases | No different | 0.53 per 1,000 likely 0.02 per 1,000 – 1.04 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 11,271 cases | No different | 0.19 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 0.36 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 11,702 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,116 cases | No different | 2.39 per 1,000 likely 1.15 per 1,000 – 3.63 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,592 cases | No different | 1.12 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.54 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,603 cases | No different | 6.63 per 1,000 likely 1.89 per 1,000 – 11.37 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,316 cases | No different | 5 per 1,000 likely 3.35 per 1,000 – 6.65 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,565 cases | No different | 5.01 per 1,000 likely 2.08 per 1,000 – 7.95 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 836 cases | No different | 2.32 per 1,000 likely 0.93 per 1,000 – 3.71 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,441 cases | No different | 1.45 per 1,000 likely 0.62 per 1,000 – 2.28 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 | 1.03 likely 0.48 – 1.95 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.43 likely 0.17 – 0.9 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.42 likely 0.66 – 2.7 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | Worse | 4.13 likely 2.01 – 7.58 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.63 likely 0.2 – 1.51 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.54 likely 0.4 – 0.71 | 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 266 cases | Too few cases | 14.2% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 711 cases | Too few cases | 22.3% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 842 cases | Too few cases | 15.9% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 138 cases | Too few cases | 19.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 86 cases | Too few cases | 11.7% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 266 cases | Too few cases | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 256 cases | Too few cases | 12.6 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 746 cases | Too few cases | -7.6 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 870 cases | Too few cases | -11.7 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 510 cases | No different | 16.1 per 1,000 likely 12.4 per 1,000 – 21.2 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 110 cases | No different | 11 per 100 likely 7.9 per 100 – 15.5 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 110 cases | No different | 4.8 per 100 likely 3.1 per 100 – 7.4 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 577 cases | No different | 1.1 likely 0.9 – 1.4 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
148 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 83 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 |
|---|---|
| Internal Medicine | 15 |
| Physician Assistant | 13 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 10 |
| Family | 8 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 8 |
| Pharmacist | 7 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 6 |
| Emergency Medicine | 6 |
| Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine | 5 |
| Acute Care | 4 |
| Family Medicine | 4 |
| Pediatrics | 4 |
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 $359,765
- 2020 $293,310
- 2021 $168,289
- 2022 $267,917
- 2023 $348,197
- 2024 $235,191
- 2025 $343,242
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $3,526 | 3 |
| Debt forgiveness | $2,594 | 22 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $2,500 | 1 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $595 | 5 |
| Education | $562 | 2 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards Lifesciences Corporation | $109,104 | 16 |
| Boston Scientific Corporation | $80,051 | 30 |
| Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | $52,247 | 6 |
| Mannkind Corporation | $47,569 | 7 |
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | $40,179 | 9 |
| Teleflex LLC | $2,871 | 1 |
| Balt USA, LLC | $2,700 | 1 |
| KLS-Martin L.P. | $2,542 | 21 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| The PROGRESS Trial 2021-01 Edwards Lifesciences Corporation | $84,686 |
| SIMPLAAFY Boston Scientific Corporation · NCT06521463 | $54,876 |
| A Multi-Center, Prospective Patient Registry: Subscapularis Repair Augmented with TAPESTRY Biointegrative Implant after Shoulder Arthroplasty Evaluat… Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | $52,247 |
| ICON-1 PHASE 3 STUDY OF THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TREATMENT WITH MNKD-101, CLOFAZAMINE INHALATION SUSPENSION Mannkind Corporation · NCT06418711 | $47,569 |
| GORE CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder and Antiplatelet Medical Management for Reduction of Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): th… W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. · NCT03821129 | $39,617 |
| The PROGRESS Trial – Continued Access 2021-01-CAP Edwards Lifesciences Corporation | $24,418 |
| HEAL-LAA Boston Scientific Corporation · NCT05809596 | $18,471 |
| CHAMPION-AF Boston Scientific Corporation · NCT04394546 | $4,904 |
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 Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Is Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital a good hospital?
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 5 and worse on 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital?
85% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 3,306 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 5 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. 2% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $343,242 in payments to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital 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.