CMS certification 240047
St Lukes Hospital
915 East 1st Street, Duluth, MN 55805
St Lukes Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 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 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 47 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: 388 completed surveys, 22% 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 | MN | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 397 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 2 h 45 min | 3 h 47 min | 2 h 11 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 31 visits sampled | 5 h 16 min | 3 h 24 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 28,145 patients | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 120 patients | 64% | 58% | 65% |
How St Lukes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Lukes HospitalThis hospital | 3/5 | 74% | 3 h 47 min | 1 better 1 worse |
| Essentia Health DuluthSame city | Not rated | 63% | — | 1 better |
| Essentia Health St Mary's Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 73% | 3 h 21 min | 2 better |
| Essentia Health VirginiaSame county · Virginia | 4/5 | 60% | 2 h 11 min | No different |
| Range Regional Health ServicesSame county · Hibbing | 4/5 | 69% | 2 h 49 min | 1 worse |
| Ely - Bloomenson Community HospitalSame county · Ely | Not rated | 90% | 1 h 40 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 Duluth.
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 2,941 cases | Too few cases | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 135 cases | Too few cases | 13.9% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 154 cases | Too few cases | 11.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 154 cases | Too few cases | 20.6% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 266 cases | Too few cases | 12.4% | 11.9% |
| COPD 79 cases | Too few cases | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 32 cases | Too few cases | 2.1% | 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 | 0.85 likely 0.51 – 1.19 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 170 cases | Too few cases | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 52 cases | No different | 139.95 per 1,000 likely 86.18 per 1,000 – 193.72 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 2,952 cases | No different | 0.21 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.99 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 3,538 cases | No different | 0.23 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 3,580 cases | No different | 0.36 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 0.56 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 929 cases | No different | 2.36 per 1,000 likely 0.82 per 1,000 – 3.89 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 502 cases | No different | 2.24 per 1,000 likely 0.63 per 1,000 – 3.84 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 511 cases | No different | 8.07 per 1,000 likely 1.34 per 1,000 – 14.8 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 954 cases | No different | 2.82 per 1,000 likely 0.6 per 1,000 – 5.03 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 458 cases | No different | 5.18 per 1,000 likely 1.49 per 1,000 – 8.87 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 176 cases | No different | 1.97 per 1,000 likely 0.49 per 1,000 – 3.45 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 664 cases | No different | 0.88 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.88 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 | 0.71 likely 0.18 – 1.93 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.61 likely 0.79 – 2.96 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.98 likely 0.25 – 2.67 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.3 likely 0.13 – 0.6 | 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 282 cases | Too few cases | 13.1% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 421 cases | Too few cases | 23.8% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 401 cases | Too few cases | 18.6% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 238 cases | Too few cases | 20.1% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 79 cases | Too few cases | 10.5% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 178 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 145 cases | Too few cases | 22.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 174 cases | Too few cases | 21.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 160 cases | Too few cases | 22.8 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 939 cases | No different | 12.4 per 1,000 likely 9.4 per 1,000 – 16.3 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 168 cases | No different | 11.2 per 100 likely 8.2 per 100 – 15 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 168 cases | No different | 4.7 per 100 likely 3.1 per 100 – 6.9 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 313 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.6 – 1.2 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
216 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 | 40 |
| Physical Therapist | 35 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 21 |
| Anesthesiology | 18 |
| Occupational Therapist | 16 |
| Emergency Medicine | 13 |
| Pharmacist | 13 |
| Physician Assistant | 7 |
| Hospitalist | 6 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | 6 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 4 |
| Diabetes Educator | 3 |
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 $189,558
- 2020 $399,395
- 2021 $318,011
- 2022 $364,573
- 2023 $350,639
- 2024 $269,911
- 2025 $196,289
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $4,688 | 5 |
| Debt forgiveness | $481 | 1 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $142 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $157,448 | 6 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $14,184 | 12 |
| Abbvie INC. | $12,937 | 18 |
| Stryker Corporation | $4,549 | 4 |
| AstraZeneca UK Limited | $3,130 | 1 |
| CardioFocus, Inc. | $1,850 | 2 |
| Philips North America LLC | $1,430 | 2 |
| Linvatec Corporation | $514 | 1 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase III, Randomised, Open-label, Multicentre, Global Study of Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in Combination with Durvalumab and Carboplatin Ve… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $34,804 |
| A Phase III, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Multi-center, International Study of Durvalumab Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Ther… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $31,798 |
| A Phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Randomized, Multicenter, International Study of Durvalumab Plus Oleclumab and Durvalumab Plus Monalizu… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $30,465 |
| A Phase III, Randomised, Open-label, Global Study of Adjuvant Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in Combination With Rilvegostomig or Rilvegostomig Mo… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $26,400 |
| Artemide Lung02 a phase III global study of rilvegostomig or pembrolizumab for patients with metastatic squamous non small cell lung cancer AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $24,200 |
| A Study of Milvexian in Participants After a Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome (LIBREXIA-ACS) Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $14,184 |
| A Phase III, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Multi-center International Study of Neoadjuvant/adjuvant Durvalumab for the Treatment of Patients with… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $9,781 |
| A Study Comparing Upadacitinib (ABT-494) to Placebo and to Adalimumab in Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Are on a Stable Dose of Methotrexate an… ABBVIE INC. · NCT02629159 | $5,953 |
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 St Lukes Hospital
Is St Lukes Hospital a good hospital?
St Lukes Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend St Lukes Hospital?
74% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 388 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the St Lukes Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 47 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. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does St Lukes Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $196,289 in payments to St Lukes 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.