CMS certification 430016
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
1325 S Cliff Ave Post Office Box 5045, Sioux Falls, SD 57117
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 24 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 5 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 1 h 52 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: 711 completed surveys, 28% 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 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 | SD | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 388 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 22 min | 1 h 52 min | 1 h 55 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 21 visits sampled | 1 h 22 min | 2 h 27 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 53,764 patients | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 14 patients | 71% | 58% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 139 patients | 63% | 67% | 65% |
How Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 76% | 1 h 52 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Sanford Usd Medical CenterSame city | 5/5 | 74% | 3 h 27 min | 9 better |
| Sioux Falls VA Medical CenterSame city | 5/5 | 90% | — | 2 better |
| Avera Heart Hospital of South DakotaSame city | 5/5 | 88% | 1 h 50 min | 2 better |
| Sioux Falls Specialty HospitalSame city | Not rated | 82% | — | 1 better |
| Avera Dells Area Hospital - CahSame county · Dell Rapids | Not rated | 86% | 1 h 46 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. All hospitals in Sioux Falls.
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 3,735 cases | Too few cases | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 32 cases | Too few cases | 12.2% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 332 cases | Too few cases | 12.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 560 cases | Too few cases | 14.8% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 535 cases | Too few cases | 10.9% | 11.9% |
| COPD 167 cases | Too few cases | 8.1% | 8.6% |
1 more measure 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 | 1.03 likely 0.79 – 1.28 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 174 cases | Too few cases | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 158 cases | No different | 170.45 per 1,000 likely 130.76 per 1,000 – 210.13 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 8,718 cases | No different | 1.04 per 1,000 likely 0.54 per 1,000 – 1.54 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 10,545 cases | No different | 0.14 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.33 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 10,666 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,115 cases | No different | 2.21 per 1,000 likely 0.97 per 1,000 – 3.44 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,698 cases | No different | 1.08 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.47 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,683 cases | No different | 8 per 1,000 likely 3.01 per 1,000 – 12.99 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,245 cases | No different | 3.35 per 1,000 likely 1.75 per 1,000 – 4.94 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,581 cases | No different | 5.26 per 1,000 likely 2.49 per 1,000 – 8.04 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 954 cases | No different | 1.72 per 1,000 likely 0.34 per 1,000 – 3.1 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,910 cases | No different | 1.13 per 1,000 likely 0.35 per 1,000 – 1.91 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 | 0.78 likely 0.4 – 1.38 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.23 likely 0.07 – 0.55 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Better | 0.37 likely 0.12 – 0.9 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0.53 likely 0.03 – 2.59 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.66 likely 0.31 – 1.25 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.32 likely 0.2 – 0.49 | 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.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after heart failure 398 cases | Too few cases | 21.2% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 739 cases | Too few cases | 17.5% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 251 cases | Too few cases | 21.1% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 148 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 365 cases | Too few cases | 20.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 654 cases | Too few cases | -3.3 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 4,024 cases | No different | 14.5 per 1,000 likely 11.9 per 1,000 – 17.7 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 544 cases | No different | 9.5 per 100 likely 7.7 per 100 – 11.8 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 544 cases | No different | 5.5 per 100 likely 4.2 per 100 – 7.2 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 2,535 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.8 – 1.1 | — |
4 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 $791,269
- 2020 $1.8M
- 2021 $984,941
- 2022 $1.4M
- 2023 $1.3M
- 2024 $2.6M
- 2025 $4.1M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $66,300 | 6 |
| Debt forgiveness | $35,249 | 3 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $27,509 | 8 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $24,500 | 22 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $24,457 | 8 |
| Education | $2,000 | 2 |
| Gifts | $1,000 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen Inc. | $1M | 4 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $510,240 | 35 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $475,719 | 12 |
| Genentech, Inc. | $441,591 | 46 |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $380,588 | 11 |
| AstraZeneca UK Limited | $214,082 | 2 |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $181,011 | 28 |
| Pfizer INC. | $140,784 | 25 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase 1b Study Evaluating the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Preliminary Anti-Tumor Activity of Subcutaneous Tarlatamab in Subjects Wi… Amgen Inc. | $499,911 |
| A Phase 1b Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of First-Line Tarlatamab in Combination With Carboplatin, Etoposide, and PD-L1 Inhibitor in Subje… Amgen Inc. | $455,837 |
| TAK-280-1501 Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $312,201 |
| Ph3 study of Pola R CHP Glofit vs PolaR CHP in 1L DLBCL Genentech, Inc. | $198,817 |
| CAMBRIA-2 A Phase III, Open-Label, Randomised Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Camizestrant (AZD9833, a Next Generation, Oral Selective Est… AstraZeneca UK Limited | $194,532 |
| Multi-arm Phase 2 Study of Ubamatamab (REGN4018; MUC16CD3 Bispecific Antibody) With or Without Additional Agents in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · NCT06787612 | $181,011 |
| A PHASE 1/2, FIRST-IN-HUMAN, OPEN LABEL, DOSE ESCALATION STUDY OF MVC-101, AN EGFR X CD3 CONDITIONAL BISPECIFIC REDIRECTED ACTIVATION (COBRATM) PROTE… Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $167,801 |
| a phase 3b,randomized,multicenter,open label study to assess the efficacy of durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus pembrolizumab in combination with pl… AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | $150,340 |
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 Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
Is Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center a good hospital?
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 24 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 5 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center?
76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 711 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 1 h 52 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 22 min. 0% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $4.1M in payments to Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center 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.