CMS certification 220011
Cambridge Health Alliance
1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Cambridge Health Alliance has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 65% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 20 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 33 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: 547 completed surveys, 13% 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 | MA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 363 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 2 h 33 min | 3 h 34 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 31 visits sampled | 4 h 20 min | 5 h 38 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 97,432 patients | 2% | 4% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 83 patients | 49% | 56% | 65% |
How Cambridge Health Alliance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Health AllianceThis hospital | 3/5 | 65% | 2 h 33 min | 2 better |
| Mount Auburn HospitalSame city | 4/5 | 75% | 3 h 25 min | 1 better 1 worse |
| Melrosewakefield HealthcareSame county · Melrose | 3/5 | 64% | 3 h 10 min | 1 better 3 worse |
| Winchester HospitalSame county · Winchester | 3/5 | 75% | 3 h 53 min | 1 better 4 worse |
| Lowell General HospitalSame county · Lowell | 2/5 | 66% | 4 h 27 min | 1 better 6 worse |
| Newton-Wellesley HospitalSame county · Newton | 5/5 | 79% | 4 h 25 min | 7 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 Cambridge.
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 1,280 cases | Too few cases | 3.5% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 27 cases | Too few cases | 11.9% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 202 cases | Too few cases | 7.2% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 198 cases | Too few cases | 13.3% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 56 cases | Too few cases | 17.9% | 11.9% |
| COPD 119 cases | Too few cases | 7.5% | 8.6% |
1 more measure 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 | 0.95 likely 0.51 – 1.38 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 72 cases | Too few cases | 5.4% | 4.1% |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 1,705 cases | No different | 0.35 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.35 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 2,266 cases | No different | 0.2 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 2,246 cases | No different | 0.3 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.51 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 277 cases | No different | 2.53 per 1,000 likely 0.84 per 1,000 – 4.22 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 102 cases | No different | 1.59 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.28 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 103 cases | No different | 10.58 per 1,000 likely 1.15 per 1,000 – 20.01 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 290 cases | No different | 3.1 per 1,000 likely 0.61 per 1,000 – 5.59 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 96 cases | No different | 5.77 per 1,000 likely 1.58 per 1,000 – 9.95 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 49 cases | No different | 1.74 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 3.26 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 272 cases | No different | 1 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.07 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 | 0.78 likely 0.04 – 3.86 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.88 likely 0.6 – 4.54 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.33 likely 0.02 – 1.6 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.34 likely 0.18 – 0.58 | 1 |
2 more measures 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 33 cases | Too few cases | 14.4% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 387 cases | Too few cases | 21.1% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 379 cases | Too few cases | 15.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 186 cases | Too few cases | 20.1% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 74 cases | Too few cases | 7.3% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 256 cases | Too few cases | 14.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 217 cases | Too few cases | 33.2 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 713 cases | No different | 14.1 per 1,000 likely 10.7 per 1,000 – 18.8 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 173 cases | No different | 1.1 likely 0.8 – 1.6 | — |
5 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,326 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 193 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 |
|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | 202 |
| Social Worker | 152 |
| Clinical | 94 |
| Pharmacist | 90 |
| Psychiatry | 72 |
| Physician Assistant | 58 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse | 46 |
| Internal Medicine | 45 |
| Physical Therapist | 44 |
| Occupational Therapist | 38 |
| Psychologist | 38 |
| Ambulatory Care | 32 |
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 $10,029
- 2020 $11,448
- 2021 $25,473
- 2022 $69,551
- 2023 $66,904
- 2024 $38,570
- 2025 $24,692
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $22,400 | 14 |
| Royalties and licensing fees | $2,000 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $292 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Indivior Inc. | $13,000 | 13 |
| Pfizer INC. | $11,400 | 2 |
| Stryker Corporation | $292 | 1 |
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 Cambridge Health Alliance
Is Cambridge Health Alliance a good hospital?
Cambridge Health Alliance has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 20 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 Cambridge Health Alliance?
65% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 547 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Cambridge Health Alliance emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 33 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. 2% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Cambridge Health Alliance receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $24,692 in payments to Cambridge Health Alliance for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.