USCareCheck

CMS certification 450686

University Medical Center

602 Indiana Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79415

Acute Care Hospitals Emergency services Birthing-friendly

University Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 78% 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 3 and worse on 2. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 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.

CMS overall rating 2/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 78% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 3/5 601 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 2 worse 3 better of 25 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 601 completed surveys, 14% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
78%
TX 73% · US 71% · 5 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
76%
TX 74% · US 72% · 4 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
79%
TX 80% · US 80% · 4 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
78%
TX 80% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
63%
TX 63% · US 62% · 3 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
86%
TX 86% · US 86% · 3 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
70%
TX 76% · US 74% · 3 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
57%
TX 66% · US 60% · 3 of 5 stars

This hospital Texas 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 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 · 386 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min 3 h 9 min 2 h 25 min 2 h 42 min
Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 21 visits sampled 4 h 24 min 3 h 53 min 4 h 17 min
Left before being seen Lower is better · 81,144 patients 0% 1% 2%
Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 207 patients 36% 68% 65%

How University 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
University Medical CenterThis hospital2/578%3 h 9 min3 better 2 worse
Lubbock Heart Hospital LPSame city2/581%2 h 39 min1 better 1 worse
Grace Surgical HospitalSame cityNot rated88%—1 better
Covenant Medical CenterSame city3/570%2 h 44 min4 better 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 Lubbock.

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 3,046 cases Too few cases 3.8% 3.9%
Heart attack 194 cases Too few cases 13.1% 11.9%
Heart failure 308 cases Too few cases 10.7% 11.1%
Pneumonia 307 cases Too few cases 15.1% 15.2%
Stroke 109 cases Too few cases 13.9% 11.9%
COPD 133 cases Too few cases 10.3% 8.6%
Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 144 cases Too few cases 3.2% 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.

1 worse than the nation 11 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure No different 1.09 likely 0.78 – 1.41 1
Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 94 cases Worse 255.81 per 1,000 likely 205.15 per 1,000 – 306.47 per 1,000 173.3 per 1,000
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 5,834 cases No different 0.43 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.03 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,223 cases No different 0.15 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.35 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 6,312 cases No different 0.4 per 1,000 likely 0.2 per 1,000 – 0.59 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,890 cases No different 2.07 per 1,000 likely 0.71 per 1,000 – 3.44 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 305 cases No different 1.47 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.1 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 287 cases No different 14.58 per 1,000 likely 7.34 per 1,000 – 21.82 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,028 cases No different 3.17 per 1,000 likely 1.34 per 1,000 – 4.99 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 268 cases No different 5.65 per 1,000 likely 1.79 per 1,000 – 9.5 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 463 cases No different 2.04 per 1,000 likely 0.65 per 1,000 – 3.44 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,399 cases No different 1.58 per 1,000 likely 0.66 per 1,000 – 2.5 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.

4 better than the nation 2 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) Better 0.08 likely 0.01 – 0.25 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) Better 0.32 likely 0.17 – 0.56 1
Surgical site infections after colon surgery Better 0.35 likely 0.11 – 0.84 1
Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy No different 0 1
MRSA bloodstream infections No different 0.88 likely 0.41 – 1.67 1
C. diff intestinal infections Better 0.44 likely 0.3 – 0.63 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.

4 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Readmitted after a heart attack 321 cases Too few cases 14.6% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 490 cases Too few cases 19.9% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 461 cases Too few cases 15.4% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 259 cases Too few cases 19% 20%
Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 169 cases Too few cases 14.3% 11%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 209 cases Too few cases 17.2 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 333 cases Too few cases 13.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 324 cases Too few cases 5.1 days per 100 —
Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 698 cases No different 13.6 per 1,000 likely 10.2 per 1,000 – 17.9 per 1,000 13 per 1,000
Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 153 cases No different 12.9 per 100 likely 9.8 per 100 – 16.8 per 100 10.7 per 100
ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 153 cases No different 5.7 per 100 likely 3.9 per 100 – 8.2 per 100 5.4 per 100
Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 316 cases No different 1.2 likely 0.9 – 1.6 —

2 more measures had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

219 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 10 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
Family 27
Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered 22
Emergency Medicine 16
Diagnostic Radiology 14
Internal Medicine 13
Nurse Practitioner 11
Physician Assistant 10
Pharmacist 9
Anesthesiologist Assistant 8
Family Medicine 8
Registered Nurse 7
Critical Care Medicine 6

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 $94,929 general $94,929 · research $0
All years, 2019–2025 $562,000 244 reported payments
  • 2019 $25,280
  • 2020 $18,063
  • 2021 $110,084
  • 2022 $142,111
  • 2023 $0
  • 2024 $171,534
  • 2025 $94,929

General payments Research payments

What the 2025 general payments were for

Type of payment Amount Payments
Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan $89,346 14
Space rental and facility fees $2,495 2
Speaking, teaching and other services $2,151 4
Debt forgiveness $937 1

Largest paying companies, 2025

Company Amount Payments
Intuitive Surgical, INC. $88,749 12
Sterilmed, Inc. $1,876 3
Rattan and Associates $1,495 1
ConvaTec Inc. $1,000 1
Merit Medical Systems Inc $937 1
Ge Healthcare $306 1
Vapotherm Inc $290 1
Pinnacle Biologics, Inc $275 1

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 Medical Center

Is University Medical Center a good hospital?

University Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 25 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 2. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend University Medical Center?

78% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 601 completed HCAHPS surveys.

How long is the wait in the University Medical Center emergency room?

Emergency patients spend a median of 3 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 Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?

Drug and device makers reported $94,929 in payments to University Medical Center for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.