CMS certification 320059
Northern Navajo Medical Center
US Hwy 491 North, Shiprock, NM 87420
Northern Navajo Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 56% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 8 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on none and worse on 1.
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: 128 completed surveys, 11% 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. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | NM | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 162 patients | 59% | 54% | 65% |
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 218 cases | Too few cases | 4.5% | 3.9% |
| Heart failure 25 cases | Too few cases | 11.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 90 cases | Too few cases | 20% | 15.2% |
4 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) 662 cases | No different | 0.52 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.74 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 898 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 912 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. diff intestinal infections | No different | 0.25 likely 0.01 – 1.25 | 1 |
5 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 pneumonia 65 cases | Too few cases | 17% | 17.3% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 30 cases | Too few cases | 44.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 92 cases | Too few cases | -7.4 days per 100 | — |
11 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 Navajo Medical Center
Is Northern Navajo Medical Center a good hospital?
Northern Navajo Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 8 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on none and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Northern Navajo Medical Center?
56% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 128 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Northern Navajo Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Northern Navajo Medical Center.