CMS certification 260102
University Health Lakewood Medical Center
7900 Lee's Summit Rd, Kansas City, MO 64139
University Health Lakewood Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 67% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 9 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 30 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: 341 completed surveys, 12% 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 | MO | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 354 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 2 h 45 min | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 35 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 16 visits sampled | 3 h 54 min | 4 h 23 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 29,787 patients | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 53 patients | 74% | 63% | 65% |
How University Health Lakewood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health Lakewood Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 67% | 2 h 30 min | 1 better |
| Research Medical CenterSame city | 2/5 | 58% | 1 h 30 min | 2 better 3 worse |
| Kansas City VA Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 69% | — | 4 better |
| Saint Lukes North HospitalSame city | 5/5 | 75% | 2 h 59 min | 2 better |
| St Joseph Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 63% | 2 h 4 min | 2 better |
| St Lukes Hospital of Kansas CitySame city | 5/5 | 79% | 3 h 46 min | 5 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 Kansas City.
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 202 cases | Too few cases | 3.5% | 3.9% |
6 more measures 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 | 0.96 likely 0.47 – 1.46 | 1 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 386 cases | No different | 0.54 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.79 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 524 cases | No different | 0.21 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 515 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 53 cases | No different | 2.32 per 1,000 likely 0.59 per 1,000 – 4.05 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 28 cases | No different | 1.67 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.4 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 27 cases | No different | 9.21 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 19.3 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 55 cases | No different | 3.45 per 1,000 likely 0.83 per 1,000 – 6.08 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
5 more measures 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.94 likely 0.05 – 4.64 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.2 likely 0.03 – 0.66 | 1 |
4 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 heart failure 51 cases | Too few cases | 20.1% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 51 cases | Too few cases | 17.3% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 31 cases | Too few cases | 19.8% | 20% |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 86 cases | No different | 12.6 per 1,000 likely 9.2 per 1,000 – 17 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 59 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.7 – 1.5 | — |
9 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 $1,000
- 2020 $22,036
- 2021 $357
- 2022 $18,382
- 2023 $6,663
- 2024 $17,393
- 2025 $21,452
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| BioFire Diagnostics, LLC | $21,452 | 7 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| SpotFire R Mini ANS Prospective Study BioFire Diagnostics, LLC | $11,392 |
| SpotFire STI Prospective Study BioFire Diagnostics, LLC | $10,060 |
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 Health Lakewood Medical Center
Is University Health Lakewood Medical Center a good hospital?
University Health Lakewood Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 9 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University Health Lakewood Medical Center?
67% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 341 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University Health Lakewood Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 30 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. 3% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does University Health Lakewood Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $21,452 in payments to University Health Lakewood 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.