CMS certification 350019
Altru Hospital
1200 S Columbia Rd, Grand Forks, ND 58201
Altru Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 58% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 4 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 57 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: 906 completed surveys, 25% 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 | ND | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 357 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 2 h 45 min | 2 h 57 min | 1 h 50 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 25 visits sampled | 3 h 10 min | 2 h 44 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 36,728 patients | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 11 patients | 55% | 71% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 135 patients | 65% | 60% | 65% |
How Altru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altru HospitalThis hospital | 3/5 | 58% | 2 h 57 min | 4 better 1 worse |
| Pembina County Memorial HospitalSame ZIP area · Cavalier | Not rated | 88% | 1 h 19 min | No different |
| Unity Medical CenterSame ZIP area · Grafton | Not rated | 90% | 2 h 6 min | 1 better |
| Cavalier County Memorial Hospital AssociationSame ZIP area · Langdon | Not rated | 82% | 1 h 30 min | No different |
| First Care Health CenterSame ZIP area · Park River | Not rated | 92% | 1 h 51 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.
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 2,461 cases | Too few cases | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 149 cases | Too few cases | 13% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 370 cases | Too few cases | 12.3% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 573 cases | Too few cases | 16.3% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 164 cases | Too few cases | 11.1% | 11.9% |
| COPD 119 cases | Too few cases | 7% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 73 cases | Too few cases | 1.9% | 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 | 0.91 likely 0.6 – 1.23 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 101 cases | No different | 169.96 per 1,000 likely 118.01 per 1,000 – 221.92 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 4,995 cases | No different | 1.02 per 1,000 likely 0.37 per 1,000 – 1.66 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 5,714 cases | No different | 0.15 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.36 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 5,858 cases | No different | 0.34 per 1,000 likely 0.14 per 1,000 – 0.53 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,388 cases | No different | 2.32 per 1,000 likely 0.88 per 1,000 – 3.77 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 430 cases | No different | 1.73 per 1,000 likely 0.17 per 1,000 – 3.28 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 435 cases | No different | 5.29 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 11.95 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,506 cases | No different | 2.56 per 1,000 likely 0.58 per 1,000 – 4.55 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 402 cases | No different | 3.96 per 1,000 likely 0.19 per 1,000 – 7.74 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 275 cases | No different | 1.57 per 1,000 likely 0.12 per 1,000 – 3.01 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,024 cases | No different | 0.84 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.82 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
1 more measure 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | Better | 0.28 likely 0.07 – 0.77 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.45 likely 0.14 – 1.07 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.27 likely 0.46 – 2.8 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.31 likely 0.02 – 1.54 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.28 likely 0.12 – 0.56 | 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 191 cases | Too few cases | 13.8% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 418 cases | Too few cases | 20.5% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 655 cases | Too few cases | 16.3% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 124 cases | Too few cases | 18.6% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 70 cases | Too few cases | 9.8% | 11% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 158 cases | Too few cases | -17 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 415 cases | Too few cases | -29 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 618 cases | Too few cases | -16 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 1,812 cases | No different | 12.6 per 1,000 likely 9.8 per 1,000 – 15.9 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 307 cases | No different | 11.4 per 100 likely 8.8 per 100 – 14.7 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 307 cases | No different | 5.2 per 100 likely 3.6 per 100 – 7.2 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,137 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.8 – 1.3 | — |
2 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
254 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 | 49 |
| Physical Therapist | 42 |
| Occupational Therapist | 20 |
| Internal Medicine | 17 |
| Emergency Medicine | 16 |
| Pharmacist | 16 |
| Anesthesiology | 13 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 7 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 6 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 6 |
| Family | 6 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 6 |
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 $91,417
- 2020 $64,448
- 2021 $43,073
- 2022 $106,929
- 2023 $203,621
- 2024 $216,004
- 2025 $210,132
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Debt forgiveness | $9,998 | 2 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $6,500 | 1 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $1,088 | 4 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $127,289 | 2 |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $31,933 | 2 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $24,668 | 2 |
| Stryker Corporation | $9,998 | 2 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $8,656 | 12 |
| Sterilmed, Inc. | $6,500 | 1 |
| Smith+Nephew, Inc. | $552 | 1 |
| Cochlear Americas | $477 | 2 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Adjuvant MK-2870 in Combination with Pembrolizumab MK-3475 Versus Trea… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $101,273 |
| A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of sac-TMT Sacituzumab Tirumotecan, MK-2870 Followed by Carboplatin,Pacli… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $26,016 |
| Dapagliflozin in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $21,720 |
| Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Multicenter Trial, Assessing the Impact of Inclisiran on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Partici… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $13,468 |
| A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Effect of Inclisiran on Preventing Major Adverse Cardiovascular Even… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $11,200 |
| A Phase III, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Multi-center, International Study of Durvalumab Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Ther… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $10,213 |
| A Post-authorization Safety Study to Evaluate the Incidence of and Risk Factors for Severe and Fatal Infusionrelated Reactions in Participants Treate… Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $8,656 |
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 Altru Hospital
Is Altru Hospital a good hospital?
Altru Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 4 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Altru Hospital?
58% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 906 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Altru Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 57 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. 2% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Altru Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $210,132 in payments to Altru 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.