CMS certification 340131
Carolina East Medical Center
2000 Neuse Blvd, New Bern, NC 28560
Carolina East Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 73% 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 2 and worse on 2. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 36 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: 1,125 completed surveys, 26% 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 | NC | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 564 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 36 min | 3 h 7 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 20 visits sampled | 7 h 7 min | 5 h | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 63,512 patients | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 47 patients | 81% | 71% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 311 patients | 70% | 64% | 65% |
How Carolina East 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina East Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 73% | 3 h 36 min | 2 better 2 worse |
| Carteret General HospitalSame ZIP area · Morehead City | 2/5 | 72% | 3 h 45 min | 4 worse |
| NMC Camp LejeuneSame ZIP area · Camp Lejeune | Not rated | 74% | 3 h 21 min | — |
| Onslow Memorial HospitalSame ZIP area · Jacksonville | 1/5 | 55% | 3 h 7 min | 1 better 3 worse |
| UNC Lenoir Health CareSame ZIP area · Kinston | 4/5 | 57% | 3 h 14 min | 1 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.
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 3,645 cases | Too few cases | 4.2% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 312 cases | Too few cases | 14.8% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 626 cases | Too few cases | 11.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 725 cases | Too few cases | 13.7% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 249 cases | Too few cases | 9.6% | 11.9% |
| COPD 261 cases | Too few cases | 8.5% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 186 cases | Too few cases | 2.2% | 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 | 0.86 likely 0.6 – 1.13 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 64 cases | Too few cases | 4.7% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 102 cases | Worse | 229.33 per 1,000 likely 181.78 per 1,000 – 276.88 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 7,232 cases | No different | 0.51 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.08 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 8,601 cases | No different | 0.13 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.32 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 9,203 cases | No different | 0.26 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 2,159 cases | No different | 2.79 per 1,000 likely 1.5 per 1,000 – 4.09 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,039 cases | No different | 1.41 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 2.82 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,049 cases | No different | 7.75 per 1,000 likely 2.84 per 1,000 – 12.66 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,302 cases | No different | 3.46 per 1,000 likely 1.55 per 1,000 – 5.37 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,016 cases | No different | 4.09 per 1,000 likely 1.04 per 1,000 – 7.15 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 409 cases | No different | 1.83 per 1,000 likely 0.4 per 1,000 – 3.25 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,554 cases | No different | 1.14 per 1,000 likely 0.23 per 1,000 – 2.05 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 | 0.56 likely 0.14 – 1.53 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.95 likely 0.35 – 2.1 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.3 likely 0.02 – 1.48 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | Better | 0 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.35 likely 0.18 – 0.62 | 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 317 cases | Too few cases | 14.2% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 761 cases | Too few cases | 21.5% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 744 cases | Too few cases | 16.3% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 321 cases | Too few cases | 18.6% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 182 cases | Too few cases | 12% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 63 cases | Too few cases | 4.9% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 298 cases | Too few cases | 14.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 691 cases | Too few cases | 35.3 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 718 cases | Too few cases | -7.4 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 700 cases | No different | 12.6 per 1,000 likely 9.6 per 1,000 – 16.8 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 396 cases | No different | 11.8 per 100 likely 9.5 per 100 – 14.6 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 396 cases | No different | 4.9 per 100 likely 3.6 per 100 – 6.7 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,533 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.8 – 1.2 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
223 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 | 34 |
| Physical Therapist | 33 |
| Occupational Therapist | 17 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | 15 |
| Internal Medicine | 14 |
| Emergency Medicine | 13 |
| Physician Assistant | 11 |
| Hospitalist | 9 |
| Physical Therapy Assistant | 8 |
| Acute Care | 6 |
| Family | 6 |
| Anesthesiology | 5 |
First 12 alphabetically
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 Carolina East Medical Center
Is Carolina East Medical Center a good hospital?
Carolina East Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 26 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on 2. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Carolina East Medical Center?
73% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,125 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Carolina East Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 36 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.