USCareCheck

CMS certification 430027

Sanford Usd Medical Center

1305 W 18th St Post Office Box 5039, Sioux Falls, SD 57117

Acute Care Hospitals Emergency services Birthing-friendly

Sanford Usd Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 74% 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 9 and worse on none. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 27 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 74% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 3/5 372 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 0 worse 9 better of 27 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 372 completed surveys, 25% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
74%
SD 77% · US 71% · 4 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
73%
SD 77% · US 72% · 4 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
76%
SD 83% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
73%
SD 85% · US 80% · 2 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
54%
SD 68% · US 62% · 2 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
88%
SD 88% · US 86% · 4 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
65%
SD 77% · US 74% · 3 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
55%
SD 70% · US 60% · 3 of 5 stars

This hospital South Dakota 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 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 3 h 27 min 1 h 55 min 2 h 42 min
Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 17 visits sampled 3 h 52 min 2 h 27 min 4 h 17 min
Left before being seen Lower is better · 46,232 patients 4% 1% 2%
Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 114 patients 42% 67% 65%

How Sanford Usd 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
Sanford Usd Medical CenterThis hospital5/574%3 h 27 min9 better
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health CenterSame city4/576%1 h 52 min5 better 1 worse
Sioux Falls VA Medical CenterSame city5/590%—2 better
Avera Heart Hospital of South DakotaSame city5/588%1 h 50 min2 better
Sioux Falls Specialty HospitalSame cityNot rated82%—1 better
Avera Dells Area Hospital - CahSame county · Dell RapidsNot rated86%1 h 46 minNo 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 4,478 cases Too few cases 3.2% 3.9%
Heart attack 328 cases Too few cases 10.9% 11.9%
Heart failure 603 cases Too few cases 11.2% 11.1%
Pneumonia 395 cases Too few cases 13.2% 15.2%
Stroke 474 cases Too few cases 10.6% 11.9%
COPD 168 cases Too few cases 9.8% 8.6%
Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 178 cases Too few cases 2.6% 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.

2 better than the nation 10 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure Better 0.64 likely 0.4 – 0.88 1
After hip or knee replacement 31 cases Too few cases 3.4% 4.1%
Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 165 cases No different 191.53 per 1,000 likely 151.83 per 1,000 – 231.23 per 1,000 173.3 per 1,000
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 8,102 cases No different 0.29 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.79 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 9,131 cases No different 0.16 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.34 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 9,486 cases No different 0.29 per 1,000 likely 0.11 per 1,000 – 0.47 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 2,973 cases No different 3.38 per 1,000 likely 2.18 per 1,000 – 4.59 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,142 cases No different 1.53 per 1,000 likely 0.21 per 1,000 – 2.86 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 1,140 cases Better 3.01 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 7.51 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,182 cases No different 2.51 per 1,000 likely 0.94 per 1,000 – 4.07 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 1,109 cases No different 3.01 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 6.04 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 642 cases No different 2.44 per 1,000 likely 1.09 per 1,000 – 3.78 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,247 cases No different 1.58 per 1,000 likely 0.76 per 1,000 – 2.4 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) Better 0.26 likely 0.08 – 0.62 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) No different 0.52 likely 0.19 – 1.15 1
Surgical site infections after colon surgery No different 0.6 likely 0.22 – 1.33 1
Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy No different 0.82 likely 0.21 – 2.22 1
MRSA bloodstream infections No different 0.55 likely 0.24 – 1.09 1
C. diff intestinal infections Better 0.35 likely 0.22 – 0.53 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.

2 better than the nation 2 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Readmitted after a heart attack 453 cases Too few cases 13.5% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 888 cases Too few cases 20.5% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 549 cases Too few cases 17.1% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 336 cases Too few cases 19.4% 20%
Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 169 cases Too few cases 10.3% 11%
Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 35 cases Too few cases 5.4% 5.8%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 348 cases Too few cases -4.5 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 698 cases Too few cases -11 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 428 cases Too few cases -8.1 days per 100 —
Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 3,888 cases Better 10.1 per 1,000 likely 8.1 per 1,000 – 12.5 per 1,000 13 per 1,000
Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 385 cases No different 10.4 per 100 likely 8.4 per 100 – 12.9 per 100 10.7 per 100
ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 385 cases No different 4.4 per 100 likely 3.2 per 100 – 6 per 100 5.4 per 100
Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,966 cases Better 0.8 likely 0.6 – 0.9 —

1 more measure had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

12 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 4
Athletic Trainer 2
Emergency Medicine 1
Hospitalist 1
Medical Genetics, Ph.D. Medical Genetics 1
Neonatal 1
Physician Assistant 1
Registered Nurse 1

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 $89,471 general $68,531 · research $20,940
All years, 2019–2025 $1.8M 235 reported payments
Studies funded, 2025 1 8 companies paid in total
  • 2019 $100,312
  • 2020 $349,596
  • 2021 $499,652
  • 2022 $162,177
  • 2023 $114,852
  • 2024 $503,023
  • 2025 $89,471

General payments Research payments

What the 2025 general payments were for

Type of payment Amount Payments
Speaking, teaching and other services $49,475 46
Space rental and facility fees $6,695 3
Gifts $6,600 1
Debt forgiveness $3,480 1
Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan $2,281 5

Largest paying companies, 2025

Company Amount Payments
Insulet Corporation $42,825 32
Shape Memory Medical Inc. $20,940 1
Smith+Nephew, Inc. $7,476 6
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. $6,650 14
Scientia Vascular $6,600 1
Haemonetics Corporation $3,480 1
Novo Nordisk Inc $750 1
Abbott Laboratories $750 1

Largest research studies funded here, 2025

Study Amount
AAA-SHAPE Pivotal Trial: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Sac Healing and Prevention of Expansion Shape Memory Medical Inc. · NCT06029667 $20,940

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 Sanford Usd Medical Center

Is Sanford Usd Medical Center a good hospital?

Sanford Usd Medical Center 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 9 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend Sanford Usd Medical Center?

74% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 372 completed HCAHPS surveys.

How long is the wait in the Sanford Usd Medical Center emergency room?

Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 27 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. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.

Does Sanford Usd Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?

Drug and device makers reported $89,471 in payments to Sanford Usd Medical Center for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.