CMS certification 520078
Ascension St Francis Hospital
3237 S 16th St, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Ascension St Francis Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. 59% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 13 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 16 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: 144 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. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | WI | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 360 visits sampled | 2 h 16 min | 2 h 17 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 16 visits sampled | 1 h 57 min | 3 h 23 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 68 patients | 78% | 72% | 65% |
How Ascension St Francis Hospital 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension St Francis HospitalThis hospital | 3/5 | 59% | 2 h 16 min | 1 better 1 worse |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 71% | 2 h 52 min | 6 better 4 worse |
| Ascension Columbia St Marys Hospital MilwaukeeSame city | 3/5 | 62% | 2 h 47 min | 3 better |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin HospitalSame city | 5/5 | 68% | 2 h 4 min | 2 better 1 worse |
| Froedtert Memorial Lutheran HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 77% | 4 h 35 min | 5 better 3 worse |
| Milwaukee VA Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 78% | — | 4 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 Milwaukee.
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 239 cases | Too few cases | 3.6% | 3.9% |
| Heart failure 35 cases | Too few cases | 11.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 31 cases | Too few cases | 12.6% | 15.2% |
4 more measures 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 | 0.96 likely 0.48 – 1.44 | 1 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 472 cases | No different | 0.48 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.67 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 623 cases | No different | 0.2 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 615 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 70 cases | No different | 2.31 per 1,000 likely 0.59 per 1,000 – 4.04 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 70 cases | No different | 3.91 per 1,000 likely 1.3 per 1,000 – 6.52 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 97 cases | No different | 1.05 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.13 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
6 more measures 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. diff intestinal infections | No different | 0.82 likely 0.21 – 2.24 | 1 |
5 more measures 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 heart failure 69 cases | Too few cases | 21.3% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 75 cases | Too few cases | 16.7% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 37 cases | Too few cases | 19.7% | 20% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 33 cases | Too few cases | -64 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 33 cases | Too few cases | -21.5 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 142 cases | No different | 12.6 per 1,000 likely 9.3 per 1,000 – 17.2 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 44 cases | No different | 11.5 per 100 likely 7.9 per 100 – 16.4 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 44 cases | No different | 5.1 per 100 likely 3.2 per 100 – 8 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
6 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
99 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 |
|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine | 11 |
| Anesthesiology | 9 |
| Physical Therapist | 6 |
| Pharmacist | 5 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 4 |
| Hospitalist | 4 |
| Internal Medicine | 4 |
| Occupational Therapist | 4 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | 4 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | 4 |
| Nurse's Aide | 3 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 2 |
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 $138,466
- 2020 $291,824
- 2021 $259,240
- 2022 $5,696
- 2023 $1,587
- 2024 $7,755
- 2025 $1,817
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Space rental and facility fees | $1,500 | 1 |
| Debt forgiveness | $103 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $1,500 | 1 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $214 | 1 |
| Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | $103 | 1 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Parallel-group Study, Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Remibrutinib Versus Teriflunomide in Participant… Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $214 |
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 Ascension St Francis Hospital
Is Ascension St Francis Hospital a good hospital?
Ascension St Francis Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Of the 13 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Ascension St Francis Hospital?
59% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 144 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Ascension St Francis Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 16 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Ascension St Francis Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $1,817 in payments to Ascension St Francis Hospital for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.