CMS certification 440015
University Health System, INC
1924 Alcoa Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920
University Health System has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 77% 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 7 and worse on 3. Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 9 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: 1,645 completed surveys, 20% 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 | TN | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 394 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 4 h 9 min | 2 h 42 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 21 visits sampled | 12 h 33 min | 5 h 8 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 79,199 patients | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 17 patients | 71% | 69% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 142 patients | 53% | 59% | 65% |
How University Health System 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System, INCThis hospital | 4/5 | 77% | 4 h 9 min | 7 better 3 worse |
| Parkwest Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 73% | 4 h 19 min | 2 better 1 worse |
| Fort Sanders Regional Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 68% | 3 h 54 min | 5 better 2 worse |
| Physicians Regional Medical CenterSame county · Powell | 3/5 | 66% | 3 h 16 min | 3 better 3 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. All hospitals in Knoxville.
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 6,822 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 172 cases | Too few cases | 13.1% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 594 cases | Too few cases | 11% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 789 cases | Too few cases | 15.8% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 884 cases | Too few cases | 12% | 11.9% |
| COPD 152 cases | Too few cases | 7.3% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 125 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 | Worse | 1.44 likely 1.21 – 1.66 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 77 cases | Too few cases | 4.4% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 354 cases | Worse | 218.76 per 1,000 likely 187.01 per 1,000 – 250.5 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 9,199 cases | Worse | 1.78 per 1,000 likely 1.3 per 1,000 – 2.26 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 11,971 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.09 per 1,000 – 0.45 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 12,153 cases | Worse | 0.47 per 1,000 likely 0.3 per 1,000 – 0.65 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,577 cases | No different | 3.27 per 1,000 likely 2.11 per 1,000 – 4.42 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,688 cases | No different | 1.26 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.58 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,582 cases | No different | 9.5 per 1,000 likely 5.11 per 1,000 – 13.89 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 3,895 cases | No different | 4.04 per 1,000 likely 2.5 per 1,000 – 5.59 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,624 cases | No different | 6.41 per 1,000 likely 3.78 per 1,000 – 9.04 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 761 cases | No different | 2.51 per 1,000 likely 1.15 per 1,000 – 3.88 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,368 cases | No different | 0.89 per 1,000 likely 0.09 per 1,000 – 1.7 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) | Better | 0.52 likely 0.29 – 0.86 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.33 likely 0.19 – 0.53 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Better | 0.45 likely 0.2 – 0.89 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0.56 likely 0.03 – 2.74 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.98 likely 0.62 – 1.47 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.35 likely 0.25 – 0.47 | 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 a heart attack 331 cases | Too few cases | 14.7% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,165 cases | Too few cases | 20.4% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 1,517 cases | Too few cases | 16.7% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 369 cases | Too few cases | 19% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 194 cases | Too few cases | 9% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 76 cases | Too few cases | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 169 cases | Too few cases | -9.6 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 713 cases | Too few cases | -18.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 884 cases | Too few cases | 4.2 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 2,004 cases | No different | 11.8 per 1,000 likely 9.2 per 1,000 – 15.1 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 744 cases | No different | 11.4 per 100 likely 9.6 per 100 – 13.4 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 744 cases | No different | 4.5 per 100 likely 3.4 per 100 – 5.8 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,378 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.7 – 1.1 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
572 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 275 residents and trainees. 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 | 73 |
| Hospitalist | 55 |
| Anesthesiology | 53 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 43 |
| Emergency Medicine | 33 |
| Family | 31 |
| Family Medicine | 29 |
| Pharmacist | 27 |
| Internal Medicine | 21 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 19 |
| Acute Care | 16 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 16 |
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 $2.1M
- 2020 $1.6M
- 2021 $1.7M
- 2022 $1.8M
- 2023 $2.3M
- 2024 $2.2M
- 2025 $3.8M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $127,373 | 13 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $65,906 | 28 |
| Grants | $31,800 | 7 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $21,429 | 3 |
| Consulting fees | $6,192 | 3 |
| Education | $5,000 | 1 |
| Food and beverage | $539 | 4 |
| Gifts | $374 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $32 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $852,929 | 369 |
| Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | $544,700 | 15 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $502,013 | 8 |
| Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $316,615 | 67 |
| BioNTech SE | $224,842 | 44 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $195,744 | 2 |
| Genmab A/S | $159,903 | 60 |
| Cleerly, Inc. | $124,934 | 28 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A PHASE 3 TRIAL OF FIANLIMAB (ANTI-LAG-3) AND CEMIPLIMAB VERSUS PEMBROLIZUMAB IN THE ADJUVANT SETTING IN PATIENTS WITH COMPLETELY RESECTED HIGH-RISK … Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · NCT05608291 | $472,798 |
| An Open-label, Randomized Phase 3 Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab MK-3475 in Combination with Belzutifan MK-6482 and Lenvatini… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $380,204 |
| A RANDOMIZED PHASE 2 PLATFORM STUDY TO EVALUATE CEMIPLIMAB PLUS CHEMOTHERAPY VERSUS CEMIPLIMAB PLUS CHEMOTHERAPY PLUS OTHER CANCER TREATMENTS FOR THE… Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · NCT06465329 | $223,769 |
| A Randomized, Open Label, Multi-center, Active-comparator Study to Assess Efficacy, Safety & Tolerability of Ofatumumab 20mg sc Monthly Versus Contin… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $195,744 |
| A Prospective, Open-Label, Randomized, Phase 3 Trial of Acasunlimab (GEN1046) in Combination With Pembrolizumab Versus Docetaxel in Subjects With PD-… Genmab A/S | $159,903 |
| BNT327-03 BioNTech SE | $149,935 |
| A Phase 2b, Open-Label, Two-cohort Study of Subcutaneous Amivantamab in Combination with Lazertinib as First-Line Treatment, or Subcutaneous Amivanta… Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $122,535 |
| A Phase 3 Randomized Open-Label Study of Adjuvant Pembrolizumab With or Without MK-2870 in Participants With Resectable Stage II to IIIB N2 NSCLC not… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $102,712 |
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 University Health System
Is University Health System a good hospital?
University Health System has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 7 and worse on 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University Health System?
77% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,645 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University Health System emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 4 h 9 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. 0% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does University Health System receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $3.8M in payments to University Health System 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.