CMS certification 200033
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
489 State Street, Bangor, ME 04401
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 60% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 7 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 39 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: 1,765 completed surveys, 27% 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 medium; 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 | ME | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 396 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 2 h 45 min | 3 h 39 min | 2 h 40 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 50 visits sampled | 1 h 55 min | 4 h 39 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 36,014 patients | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 369 patients | 62% | 62% | 65% |
How Northern Light Eastern Maine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical CenterThis hospital | 5/5 | 60% | 3 h 39 min | 7 better 1 worse |
| St Joseph HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 85% | 3 h 6 min | 1 better 3 worse |
| Penobscot Valley HospitalSame county · Lincoln | Not rated | 67% | 2 h 7 min | No different |
| Millinocket Regional HospitalSame county · Millinocket | Not rated | 73% | — | 1 worse |
| Northern Light Mayo HospitalSame ZIP area · Dover Foxcroft | 2/5 | 61% | 2 h 24 min | 1 better |
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 Bangor.
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 3,899 cases | Too few cases | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 442 cases | Too few cases | 12% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 500 cases | Too few cases | 11.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 311 cases | Too few cases | 15.1% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 274 cases | Too few cases | 13% | 11.9% |
| COPD 86 cases | Too few cases | 8.5% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 157 cases | Too few cases | 2.2% | 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 | 0.8 likely 0.52 – 1.08 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 80 cases | No different | 179.14 per 1,000 likely 124.05 per 1,000 – 234.23 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 5,789 cases | No different | 0.64 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 1.28 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,592 cases | No different | 0.13 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.31 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 6,829 cases | No different | 0.25 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,919 cases | No different | 2.19 per 1,000 likely 0.85 per 1,000 – 3.52 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 881 cases | No different | 1.16 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.6 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 855 cases | No different | 6.16 per 1,000 likely 1.04 per 1,000 – 11.29 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,084 cases | No different | 2.51 per 1,000 likely 0.65 per 1,000 – 4.37 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 853 cases | No different | 4.04 per 1,000 likely 0.78 per 1,000 – 7.3 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 295 cases | No different | 1.85 per 1,000 likely 0.42 per 1,000 – 3.29 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,247 cases | No different | 1.4 per 1,000 likely 0.47 per 1,000 – 2.33 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) | Better | 0.5 likely 0.23 – 0.96 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.98 likely 0.56 – 1.6 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Better | 0.19 likely 0.01 – 0.92 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.61 likely 0.25 – 1.27 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.36 likely 0.23 – 0.55 | 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 904 cases | Too few cases | 11.8% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 955 cases | Too few cases | 20.4% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 498 cases | Too few cases | 17.7% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 175 cases | Too few cases | 20.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 236 cases | Too few cases | 9.3% | 11% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 536 cases | Too few cases | -23.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 607 cases | Too few cases | 6.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 318 cases | Too few cases | 30.1 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 1,162 cases | No different | 11.3 per 1,000 likely 8.5 per 1,000 – 14.9 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 407 cases | No different | 10.7 per 100 likely 8.5 per 100 – 13.3 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 407 cases | No different | 5 per 100 likely 3.7 per 100 – 6.8 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 707 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.7 – 1.2 | — |
2 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
417 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 |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 71 |
| Hospitalist | 45 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 36 |
| Anesthesiology | 34 |
| Emergency Medicine | 29 |
| Physician Assistant | 29 |
| Internal Medicine | 27 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 11 |
| Acute Care | 8 |
| Vascular Surgery | 8 |
| Family | 7 |
| Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine | 7 |
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 $1.3M
- 2020 $706,798
- 2021 $444,676
- 2022 $858,037
- 2023 $736,297
- 2024 $727,191
- 2025 $438,579
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Space rental and facility fees | $18,549 | 5 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $13,000 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $6,261 | 3 |
| Grants | $2,500 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Pfizer INC. | $172,274 | 20 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $49,156 | 2 |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $45,950 | 3 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $26,221 | 9 |
| Amgen Inc. | $22,057 | 2 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | $20,971 | 4 |
| EMD Serono, Inc. | $19,960 | 5 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $19,100 | 5 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A PHASE 3 MULTICENTER PLACEBOCONTROLLED RANDOMIZED OBSERVERBLINDED TRIAL TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY SAFETY TOLERABILITY IMMUNOGENICITY AND LOT CONSISTE… PFIZER INC. | $169,165 |
| Evaluation of Inclisiran Versus Placebo for the Prevention of Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Limb Events in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Corona… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $44,156 |
| A Study of Milvexian in Participants After a Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome (LIBREXIA-ACS) Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $26,221 |
| A Phase III, Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group Study to Assess the Effect of AZD0780 on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Event… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $25,204 |
| Observational evaluation of Effectiveness And Patient-Reported outcomes (PROs) in suboptimally controlled patients previously taking oral or infusion… EMD Serono, Inc. | $19,960 |
| A STUDY OF REMTERNETUG VERSUS PLACEBO IN EARLY ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PARTICIPANTS AT RISK FOR COGNITIVE AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE Eli Lilly and Company · NCT06653153 | $19,787 |
| Zilebesiran as Add-on Therapy in Patients With High Cardiovascular Risk and Hypertension Not Adequately Controlled by Standard of Care Antihypertensi… Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $19,100 |
| Dapagliflozin in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $15,746 |
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 Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
Is Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center a good hospital?
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 7 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center?
60% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,765 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 39 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with medium patient volume, like this one, the median is 2 h 45 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 Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $438,579 in payments to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center 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.