CMS certification 180067
University of Kentucky Hospital
800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536
University of Kentucky Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 6 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 38 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: 1,389 completed surveys, 18% 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 | KY | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 379 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 38 min | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 18 visits sampled | 3 h 32 min | 3 h 30 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 133,484 patients | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 169 patients | 19% | 68% | 65% |
How University of Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky HospitalThis hospital | 4/5 | 76% | 3 h 38 min | 6 better |
| Saint Joseph EastSame city | 2/5 | 69% | 2 h 11 min | 1 better 2 worse |
| Saint Joseph HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 65% | 2 h 8 min | 4 better 5 worse |
| Baptist Health LexingtonSame city | 4/5 | 84% | 3 h 3 min | 3 better 1 worse |
| Lexington VA Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 80% | — | 2 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 Lexington.
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 5,647 cases | Too few cases | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 86 cases | Too few cases | 11.9% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 258 cases | Too few cases | 10.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 294 cases | Too few cases | 12.4% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 694 cases | Too few cases | 10.1% | 11.9% |
| COPD 97 cases | Too few cases | 7.2% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 131 cases | Too few cases | 2.6% | 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 | 1.06 likely 0.86 – 1.26 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 42 cases | Too few cases | 4.2% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 297 cases | Better | 128.38 per 1,000 likely 97.12 per 1,000 – 159.63 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 9,417 cases | No different | 0.46 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.86 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 9,693 cases | No different | 0.17 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.35 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 10,471 cases | No different | 0.32 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 0.5 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,449 cases | No different | 2.53 per 1,000 likely 1.44 per 1,000 – 3.63 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,719 cases | No different | 1.28 per 1,000 likely 0.07 per 1,000 – 2.48 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,503 cases | No different | 11.5 per 1,000 likely 7.56 per 1,000 – 15.44 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,725 cases | No different | 3.6 per 1,000 likely 2.21 per 1,000 – 5 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,691 cases | No different | 6.85 per 1,000 likely 4.46 per 1,000 – 9.23 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 916 cases | No different | 1.62 per 1,000 likely 0.38 per 1,000 – 2.86 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,815 cases | No different | 1.51 per 1,000 likely 0.79 per 1,000 – 2.24 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 | 0.79 likely 0.57 – 1.08 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.44 likely 0.29 – 0.64 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.64 likely 0.38 – 1.02 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0.94 likely 0.34 – 2.08 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.89 likely 0.62 – 1.22 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.32 likely 0.24 – 0.42 | 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 317 cases | Too few cases | 12.8% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 761 cases | Too few cases | 21.6% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 675 cases | Too few cases | 16.9% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 261 cases | Too few cases | 19.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 166 cases | Too few cases | 8.7% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 43 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 151 cases | Too few cases | -2.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 328 cases | Too few cases | 0.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 319 cases | Too few cases | 2.8 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 639 cases | No different | 14.4 per 1,000 likely 11.1 per 1,000 – 18.7 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 620 cases | Worse | 13.3 per 100 likely 11.2 per 100 – 15.7 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 620 cases | No different | 5.2 per 100 likely 3.9 per 100 – 6.8 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 905 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.7 – 1.2 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,567 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 446 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 |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 112 |
| Acute Care | 109 |
| Anesthesiology | 101 |
| Hospitalist | 95 |
| Pharmacist | 93 |
| Physician Assistant | 80 |
| Family | 65 |
| Emergency Medicine | 64 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 54 |
| General Practice | 48 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 41 |
| Pediatrics | 35 |
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 $1.8M
- 2020 $1.5M
- 2021 $1.2M
- 2022 $993,684
- 2023 $0
- 2024 $1.3M
- 2025 $2.3M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $694,682 | 34 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $528,854 | 194 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $70,967 | 9 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $68,338 | 27 |
| Education | $17,000 | 6 |
| Debt forgiveness | $15,457 | 19 |
| Consulting fees | $14,555 | 3 |
| Gifts | $14,025 | 4 |
| Royalties and licensing fees | $4,149 | 1 |
| Charitable contributions | $3,000 | 3 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $621,195 | 14 |
| Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC | $245,000 | 1 |
| Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | $111,540 | 5 |
| Medtronic, Inc. | $105,000 | 5 |
| Transmedics, INC. | $102,554 | 10 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $86,445 | 25 |
| Novo Nordisk Inc | $86,400 | 4 |
| Pfizer INC. | $84,105 | 22 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase III, Multi-center, Open-label, Randomized Study of Oral Asciminib Versus Investigator Selected TKI in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Philadelp… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $269,409 |
| MASLD Pathway Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | $100,540 |
| RECOVER Medtronic, Inc. | $84,000 |
| A Phase Ib Dose Finding Study Assessing Safety and Activity of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in Newly Diagnosed Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (ES-SCLC… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $78,966 |
| OCS-LIVER-OLP-II TRANSMEDICS, INC. | $67,074 |
| A STUDY OF INTRAVESICAL ENFORTUMAB VEDOTIN FOR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH NONMUSCLE INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER NMIBC PFIZER INC. | $51,105 |
| OHP-II Registry TRANSMEDICS, INC. | $33,480 |
| A STUDY WITH EPTINEZUMAB IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS (6 TO 17 YEARS) WITH CHRONIC OR EPISODIC MIGRAINE (REJOIN) H. Lundbeck A S · NCT05164172 | $32,194 |
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 University of Kentucky Hospital
Is University of Kentucky Hospital a good hospital?
University of Kentucky Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 6 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University of Kentucky Hospital?
76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,389 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University of Kentucky Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 38 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.
Does University of Kentucky Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $2.3M in payments to University of Kentucky Hospital for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.