CMS certification 450193
Baylor St Lukes Medical Center
6720 Bertner Ave, STE Mc1-266, Houston, TX 77030
Baylor St Lukes Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 66% 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 5 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 45 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: 518 completed surveys, 14% 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 | TX | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 389 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 22 min | 2 h 45 min | 2 h 25 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 46,712 patients | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 74 patients | 70% | 68% | 65% |
How Baylor St Lukes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor St Lukes Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 66% | 2 h 45 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Harris HealthSame city | 3/5 | 71% | 6 h 7 min | 1 better 2 worse |
| Houston Methodist HospitalSame city | 5/5 | 82% | 2 h 39 min | 13 better 3 worse |
| Houston VA Medical CenterSame city | 5/5 | 71% | — | 4 better 2 worse |
| Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 71% | 4 h 12 min | 7 better 2 worse |
| Texas Orthopedic HospitalSame city | Not rated | 83% | 1 h 45 min | 3 better |
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 Houston.
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 4,686 cases | Too few cases | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 104 cases | Too few cases | 10.4% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 351 cases | Too few cases | 7.2% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 144 cases | Too few cases | 11.7% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 411 cases | Too few cases | 10.6% | 11.9% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 232 cases | Too few cases | 2.8% | 2.4% |
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 0.83 – 1.24 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 38 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 223 cases | No different | 157.74 per 1,000 likely 126.03 per 1,000 – 189.45 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 6,740 cases | No different | 0.71 per 1,000 likely 0.27 per 1,000 – 1.15 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,880 cases | No different | 0.17 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.36 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 8,122 cases | No different | 0.23 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 0.42 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 2,497 cases | No different | 1.79 per 1,000 likely 0.63 per 1,000 – 2.95 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,331 cases | No different | 1.23 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 2.41 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,416 cases | No different | 9.24 per 1,000 likely 5.82 per 1,000 – 12.67 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,795 cases | No different | 3.57 per 1,000 likely 1.93 per 1,000 – 5.22 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,438 cases | No different | 6.87 per 1,000 likely 4.63 per 1,000 – 9.1 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 736 cases | No different | 1.88 per 1,000 likely 0.54 per 1,000 – 3.21 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,306 cases | No different | 0.88 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 1.68 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 | 0.77 likely 0.56 – 1.04 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.42 likely 0.24 – 0.67 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Better | 0.32 likely 0.1 – 0.78 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | Better | 0.16 likely 0.04 – 0.43 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.16 likely 0.1 – 0.26 | 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 331 cases | Too few cases | 14.1% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,053 cases | Too few cases | 20% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 363 cases | Too few cases | 17.1% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 130 cases | Too few cases | 20.7% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 315 cases | Too few cases | 11.2% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 41 cases | Too few cases | 7.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 161 cases | Too few cases | 35 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 426 cases | Too few cases | -15.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 155 cases | Too few cases | 9.6 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 1,280 cases | No different | 11.6 per 1,000 likely 8.9 per 1,000 – 15.2 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 208 cases | No different | 12.3 per 100 likely 9.5 per 100 – 15.5 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 208 cases | No different | 5.3 per 100 likely 3.7 per 100 – 7.4 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 774 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
559 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 8 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 | 106 |
| Anesthesiology | 93 |
| Anesthesiologist Assistant | 46 |
| Acute Care | 41 |
| Emergency Medicine | 36 |
| Hospitalist | 34 |
| Critical Care Medicine | 32 |
| Internal Medicine | 24 |
| Physician Assistant | 21 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 17 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 12 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 10 |
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 $378,300
- 2020 $136,155
- 2021 $354,940
- 2022 $940,172
- 2023 $209,378
- 2024 $461,779
- 2025 $68,333
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Royalties and licensing fees | $10,000 | 1 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $9,000 | 3 |
| Education | $6,000 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $3,116 | 6 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | $25,209 | 11 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Company LTD | $10,000 | 1 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $9,906 | 1 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | $6,000 | 1 |
| Medtronic, Inc. | $5,102 | 1 |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $5,000 | 1 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | $3,000 | 1 |
| Immucor, Inc. | $1,443 | 1 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| Assessment of CCM in HF With Higher Ejection Fraction (AIM HIGHer) Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. · NCT05064709 | $16,063 |
| New Day Study ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | $9,906 |
| Post Approval Study (PAS) of the OPTIMIZER Smart and CCM Therapy Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. · NCT03970343 | $9,146 |
| Investigator Sponsored Research: 192929 Medtronic, Inc. | $5,102 |
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 Baylor St Lukes Medical Center
Is Baylor St Lukes Medical Center a good hospital?
Baylor St Lukes Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 25 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 Baylor St Lukes Medical Center?
66% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 518 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Baylor St Lukes Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 45 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. 2% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Baylor St Lukes Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $68,333 in payments to Baylor St Lukes Medical 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.