USCareCheck

CMS certification 340061

UNC Hospitals

101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Acute Care Hospitals Emergency services Birthing-friendly

UNC Hospitals has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 8 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 28 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.

CMS overall rating 5/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 80% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 4/5 2,558 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 0 worse 8 better of 27 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 2,558 completed surveys, 21% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
80%
NC 70% · US 71% · 5 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
77%
NC 71% · US 72% · 4 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
79%
NC 80% · US 80% · 4 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
81%
NC 81% · US 80% · 4 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
61%
NC 63% · US 62% · 3 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
89%
NC 87% · US 86% · 4 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
71%
NC 71% · US 74% · 3 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
62%
NC 60% · US 60% · 4 of 5 stars

This hospital North Carolina average US average

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 NC US
Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 378 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min 4 h 28 min 3 h 7 min 2 h 42 min
Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 20 visits sampled 5 h 1 min 5 h 4 h 17 min
Left before being seen Lower is better · 99,058 patients 4% 2% 2%
Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 117 patients 39% 64% 65%

How UNC Hospitals 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
UNC HospitalsThis hospital5/580%4 h 28 min8 better
Wakemed, Cary HospitalSame ZIP area · Cary5/582%3 h 16 min3 better
UNC Health Care WayneSame ZIP area · Goldsboro3/554%3 h 10 min2 better 2 worse
Maria Parham Medical CenterSame ZIP area · Henderson2/543%2 h 48 min1 better 3 worse
Granville Health SystemsSame ZIP area · Oxford2/564%3 h 11 min2 better 2 worse
Person Memorial HospitalSame ZIP area · Roxboro3/553%3 h 12 min1 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.

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 5,907 cases Too few cases 3% 3.9%
Heart attack 139 cases Too few cases 11.4% 11.9%
Heart failure 408 cases Too few cases 10.6% 11.1%
Pneumonia 405 cases Too few cases 12.1% 15.2%
Stroke 493 cases Too few cases 12% 11.9%
COPD 118 cases Too few cases 7.2% 8.6%
Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 50 cases Too few cases 2.8% 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.

12 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure No different 0.92 likely 0.71 – 1.12 1
After hip or knee replacement 189 cases Too few cases 3.4% 4.1%
Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 264 cases No different 161.89 per 1,000 likely 128.51 per 1,000 – 195.27 per 1,000 173.3 per 1,000
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 9,900 cases No different 0.71 per 1,000 likely 0.29 per 1,000 – 1.12 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 10,696 cases No different 0.31 per 1,000 likely 0.13 per 1,000 – 0.49 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 11,495 cases No different 0.32 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 0.5 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,512 cases No different 2.11 per 1,000 likely 1.06 per 1,000 – 3.17 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,925 cases No different 1.04 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.24 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 1,760 cases No different 8.88 per 1,000 likely 4.9 per 1,000 – 12.87 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,768 cases No different 3.29 per 1,000 likely 1.79 per 1,000 – 4.79 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 1,918 cases No different 3.44 per 1,000 likely 1.13 per 1,000 – 5.76 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 1,003 cases No different 1.52 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 2.82 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,693 cases No different 0.77 per 1,000 likely 0.02 per 1,000 – 1.52 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.

2 better than the nation 4 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) No different 1.02 likely 0.81 – 1.26 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) Better 0.69 likely 0.5 – 0.92 1
Surgical site infections after colon surgery No different 0.8 likely 0.46 – 1.28 1
Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy No different 0.64 likely 0.11 – 2.11 1
MRSA bloodstream infections No different 0.7 likely 0.44 – 1.06 1
C. diff intestinal infections Better 0.61 likely 0.51 – 0.72 1

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.

4 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Readmitted after a heart attack 399 cases Too few cases 15% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 897 cases Too few cases 18.8% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 698 cases Too few cases 14.5% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 334 cases Too few cases 18.7% 20%
Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 54 cases Too few cases 11.9% 11%
Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 184 cases Too few cases 4.6% 5.8%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 186 cases Too few cases -10.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 451 cases Too few cases -12.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 428 cases Too few cases -5.8 days per 100 —
Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 2,091 cases No different 10.8 per 1,000 likely 8.4 per 1,000 – 13.9 per 1,000 13 per 1,000
Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 922 cases No different 9.8 per 100 likely 8.2 per 100 – 11.7 per 100 10.7 per 100
ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 922 cases No different 5.8 per 100 likely 4.6 per 100 – 7.2 per 100 5.4 per 100
Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,351 cases No different 0.9 likely 0.7 – 1.1 —

1 more measure had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

1,737 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 366 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
Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered 83
Physical Therapist 76
Physician Assistant 76
Occupational Therapist 72
Diagnostic Radiology 71
Pediatrics 71
Psychiatry 60
Anesthesiology 57
Dietitian, Registered 55
Nurse Practitioner 47
Surgery 45
Pharmacist 42

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.

2025 total $3.3M general $825,701 · research $2.4M
All years, 2019–2025 $17.1M 2,097 reported payments
Studies funded, 2025 39 36 companies paid in total
  • 2019 $3.4M
  • 2020 $2M
  • 2021 $2.5M
  • 2022 $1.2M
  • 2023 $2.6M
  • 2024 $2.1M
  • 2025 $3.3M

General payments Research payments

What the 2025 general payments were for

Type of payment Amount Payments
Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan $352,868 9
Space rental and facility fees $229,750 6
Consulting fees $105,571 6
Speaking, teaching and other services $84,181 7
Royalties and licensing fees $30,000 1
Grants $11,500 2
Education $9,607 7
Debt forgiveness $2,094 12
Honoraria $130 1

Largest paying companies, 2025

Company Amount Payments
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. $702,550 34
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation $469,389 2
Incyte Corporation $318,328 76
Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $267,657 96
Intuitive Surgical, INC. $261,107 8
PENTAX of America, Inc. $256,662 4
Cochlear Americas $168,863 16
Celgene Corporation $137,758 1

Largest research studies funded here, 2025

Study Amount
A Phase II Multicenter, Open-label, Single-arm Dose Escalation Study of Asciminib Monotherapy in 2nd Line Chronic Phase - Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation $429,046
A MASTER PROTOCOL FOR BIOMARKER-BASED TREATMENT OF AML (THE BEAT AML TRIAL) Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $267,657
No Fear 522 Study PENTAX of America, Inc. $256,662
A Phase 1, Open-Label, Safety and Tolerability Study of INCB057643 in Participants With Myelofibrosis Incyte Corporation $198,878
A Phase 1, Multicenter, Open-Label Study Of CC-97540 (BMS-986353), CD19-Targeted Nex-T Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells, in Participants with … Celgene Corporation $181,159
A post-approval, prospective, nonrandomized, single-arm multicenter investigation to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cochlear implantation i… Cochlear Americas $159,736
AN OPEN LABEL EXTENSION OF STUDY HGT-HIT-094 EVALUATING LONG TERM SAFETY AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF INTRATHECAL IDURSULFASE ADMINISTERED IN CONJUNCTION… Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. · NCT02412787 $157,950
A Prospective, Observational Cohort Study of Participants at Risk for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease in the United States (THRIVE) Incyte Corporation $116,809

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 UNC Hospitals

Is UNC Hospitals a good hospital?

UNC Hospitals has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 8 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend UNC Hospitals?

80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 2,558 completed HCAHPS surveys.

How long is the wait in the UNC Hospitals emergency room?

Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 28 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. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.

Does UNC Hospitals receive money from drug and device companies?

Drug and device makers reported $3.3M in payments to UNC Hospitals 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.