CMS certification 390168
Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita
One Hospital Way, Butler, PA 16001
Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 68% 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 1 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 14 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: 781 completed surveys, 34% 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 | PA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 336 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 2 h 45 min | 3 h 14 min | 3 h 6 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 15 visits sampled | 2 h 47 min | 4 h 57 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 37,824 patients | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 22 patients | 77% | 69% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 422 patients | 53% | 60% | 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 3,065 cases | Too few cases | 4.3% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 119 cases | Too few cases | 13.7% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 198 cases | Too few cases | 13% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 195 cases | Too few cases | 16.2% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 231 cases | Too few cases | 12.4% | 11.9% |
| COPD 59 cases | Too few cases | 9.9% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 84 cases | Too few cases | 3% | 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 | 1.25 likely 0.86 – 1.64 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 44 cases | Too few cases | 4.2% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 38 cases | No different | 199.15 per 1,000 likely 142.6 per 1,000 – 255.71 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 1,937 cases | No different | 0.7 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.66 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 2,561 cases | No different | 0.23 per 1,000 likely 0.02 per 1,000 – 0.45 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 2,738 cases | No different | 0.25 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 0.46 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 656 cases | No different | 2.44 per 1,000 likely 0.88 per 1,000 – 4.01 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 321 cases | No different | 1.74 per 1,000 likely 0.18 per 1,000 – 3.3 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 311 cases | No different | 14.87 per 1,000 likely 7.72 per 1,000 – 22.02 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 730 cases | No different | 2.77 per 1,000 likely 0.42 per 1,000 – 5.12 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 314 cases | No different | 8.34 per 1,000 likely 4.37 per 1,000 – 12.31 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 109 cases | No different | 2.07 per 1,000 likely 0.55 per 1,000 – 3.58 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 463 cases | No different | 1.22 per 1,000 likely 0.18 per 1,000 – 2.26 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 | 1.07 likely 0.34 – 2.57 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.48 likely 0.12 – 1.3 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 1.16 likely 0.3 – 3.16 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.37 likely 0.18 – 0.68 | 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 401 cases | Too few cases | 14.6% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 726 cases | Too few cases | 21.9% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 644 cases | Too few cases | 17.5% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 217 cases | Too few cases | 20% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 226 cases | Too few cases | 10.3% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 47 cases | Too few cases | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 138 cases | Too few cases | 14.3 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 248 cases | Too few cases | -16.2 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 200 cases | Too few cases | -19.3 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 209 cases | No different | 12.9 per 1,000 likely 9.6 per 1,000 – 17.7 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 102 cases | No different | 9.5 per 100 likely 6.8 per 100 – 12.9 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 102 cases | No different | 4.7 per 100 likely 3.2 per 100 – 6.7 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 398 cases | No different | 1 likely 0.7 – 1.3 | — |
1 more measure 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 Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita
Is Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita a good hospital?
Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita?
68% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 781 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospita emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 14 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.