CMS certification 450018
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston
301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 72% 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 3. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 10 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: 1,536 completed surveys, 12% 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 | TX | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 350 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 10 min | 2 h 25 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 12 visits sampled | 3 h 43 min | 3 h 53 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 147,680 patients | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 51 patients | 94% | 67% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 99 patients | 35% | 68% | 65% |
How University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston 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 of Texas Medical Branch GalvestonThis hospital | 3/5 | 72% | 3 h 10 min | 4 better 3 worse |
| Chi St Luke's Health BrazosportSame ZIP area · Lake Jackson | 4/5 | 66% | 2 h 32 min | 1 worse |
| HCA Houston Healthcare PearlandSame ZIP area · Pearland | 3/5 | 61% | 2 h 14 min | 1 better |
| Houston Methodist Baytown HospitalSame ZIP area · Baytown | 5/5 | 78% | 3 h 36 min | 6 better |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Clear LakeSame ZIP area · Webster | 4/5 | 60% | 1 h 58 min | 3 better 2 worse |
| Memorial Hermann Houston Physicians HospitalSame ZIP area · Webster | Not rated | 87% | 2 h 50 min | 1 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 Galveston.
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 5,418 cases | Too few cases | 2.8% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 239 cases | Too few cases | 11.8% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 699 cases | Too few cases | 8.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 632 cases | Too few cases | 11.9% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 491 cases | Too few cases | 11% | 11.9% |
| COPD 174 cases | Too few cases | 8.2% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 75 cases | Too few cases | 3.1% | 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 | 1.09 likely 0.83 – 1.35 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 120 cases | No different | 170.64 per 1,000 likely 131.24 per 1,000 – 210.03 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 7,932 cases | No different | 0.75 per 1,000 likely 0.24 per 1,000 – 1.26 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 9,148 cases | No different | 0.3 per 1,000 likely 0.11 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 9,326 cases | No different | 0.26 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.45 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,933 cases | No different | 2.65 per 1,000 likely 1.35 per 1,000 – 3.96 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 539 cases | No different | 1.56 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 3.03 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 581 cases | No different | 9.09 per 1,000 likely 3.52 per 1,000 – 14.65 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,104 cases | No different | 3.23 per 1,000 likely 1.38 per 1,000 – 5.08 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 590 cases | No different | 6.77 per 1,000 likely 3.54 per 1,000 – 10.01 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 534 cases | No different | 1.44 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 2.83 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,573 cases | No different | 1.49 per 1,000 likely 0.6 per 1,000 – 2.38 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 | 0.23 likely 0.09 – 0.48 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.68 likely 0.42 – 1.03 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.89 likely 0.43 – 1.64 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 0 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.99 likely 0.63 – 1.49 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.48 likely 0.38 – 0.6 | 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 459 cases | Too few cases | 16% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,442 cases | Too few cases | 22.2% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 1,177 cases | Too few cases | 16.5% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 433 cases | Too few cases | 20.8% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 141 cases | Too few cases | 12.5% | 11% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 237 cases | Too few cases | 25 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 798 cases | Too few cases | 11 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 661 cases | Too few cases | -0.3 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 1,585 cases | No different | 12.7 per 1,000 likely 9.9 per 1,000 – 16.3 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 90 cases | No different | 11.3 per 100 likely 8 per 100 – 15.6 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 90 cases | No different | 6 per 100 likely 3.8 per 100 – 9 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 693 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.7 – 1.2 | — |
2 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,684 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 100 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 |
|---|---|
| Internal Medicine | 194 |
| Anesthesiology | 145 |
| Pediatrics | 111 |
| Psychiatry | 65 |
| Surgery | 62 |
| Family | 59 |
| Family Medicine | 54 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 54 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 49 |
| Physician Assistant | 39 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 35 |
| Cardiovascular Disease | 32 |
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 $3.3M
- 2020 $6M
- 2021 $9.3M
- 2022 $10.4M
- 2023 $10.1M
- 2024 $4.2M
- 2025 $4M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Royalties and licensing fees | $386,724 | 13 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $122,529 | 37 |
| Grants | $91,460 | 6 |
| Debt forgiveness | $90,936 | 29 |
| Consulting fees | $40,131 | 1 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $24,500 | 10 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $20,023 | 7 |
| Gifts | $7,500 | 1 |
| Education | $840 | 1 |
| Food and beverage | $310 | 3 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Pfizer INC. | $1.5M | 61 |
| Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. | $312,665 | 58 |
| Invivyd Inc | $202,397 | 3 |
| Emergent BioSolutions Inc. | $190,304 | 2 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | $180,000 | 5 |
| Maquet Cardiopulmonary GmbH | $176,434 | 6 |
| Sysmex America, Inc. | $147,657 | 2 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $133,642 | 11 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| CON29138 PFIZER INC. | $1.1M |
| Investigation of protective mechanisms of monoclonal antibodies against SARS CoV-2 Invivyd Inc | $202,397 |
| UTMB Pre-Clinical Research Emergent BioSolutions Inc. | $190,304 |
| Sysmex CN-6000 - Instrument Evaluation Protocol Sysmex America, Inc. | $147,657 |
| A Phase 3, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of MT-7117 in Adults and Ad… Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. | $134,478 |
| A PHASE 2 RANDOMIZED DOUBLEBLIND TRIAL TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY TOLERABILITY AND IMMUNOGENICITY OF A MULTIVALENT PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE IN HEAL… PFIZER INC. | $104,946 |
| A Historical Cohort, Multicenter Study to Characterize the Management, Clinical Course, and Outcomes of Pregnancies in Women Who Have Experienced a P… Janssen Research & Development, LLC | $96,490 |
| A Phase 3, Multicenter, Open-label, Long-term, Extension Study to Evaluate Safety and Tolerability of Oral Dersimelagon (MT-7117) in Subjects With Er… Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. | $76,969 |
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 of Texas Medical Branch Galveston
Is University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston a good hospital?
University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston 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 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston?
72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,536 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 10 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 of Texas Medical Branch Galveston receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $4M in payments to University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston 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.