Essentia Health Duluth vs St Marys Hsptl Superior vs Northern Pines Medical Center
Side by side on Medicare (CMS) ratings, patient survey results, ER times, infections, readmissions and more.
| 3 hospitals | Essentia Health Duluth Duluth, MN ✕ Remove | St Marys Hsptl Superior Superior, WI ✕ Remove | Northern Pines Medical Center Aurora, MN ✕ Remove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Location | Duluth, MN | Superior, WI | Aurora, MN |
| Hospital type | Acute care | Critical Access | Critical Access |
| Ownership | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private |
| Emergency room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ratings | |||
| Patient survey ratingHCAHPS summary star rating | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| Would definitely recommend | 63% of patients | 66% of patients | 81% of patients |
| Nurse communicationPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | – |
| Doctor communicationPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| Communication about medicinesPatient survey stars | 2 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| Discharge informationPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| CleanlinessPatient survey stars | 2 of 5 | 4 of 5 | – |
| Quiet at nightPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| Overall hospital ratingPatient survey stars | 2 of 5 | 3 of 5 | – |
| Would recommendPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | – |
| Google rating | 3.0 of 5 (10 reviews) | 3.0 of 5 (39 reviews) | 3.0 of 5 (15 reviews) |
| Emergency room | |||
| Typical ER visitMedian minutes, patients sent home | – | 2 hr 4 min | 1 hr 52 min |
| Left before being seen | – | 1% | 0% |
| ER volume | – | Low | Low |
| Safety | |||
| Hospital-acquired infectionsCompared with national | 1 better · 0 worse of 1 compared | 0 better · 0 worse of 1 compared | – |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better than national | Same as national | – |
| Serious complications (PSI 90) | Same as national | – | – |
| Death rate: Hospital-wide, all conditionsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 3.2% | 3.6% | 4.1% |
| Readmissions | |||
| Readmitted: Heart attackWithin 30 days | 14.2% | – | – |
| Readmitted: Heart failureWithin 30 days | 21.1% | 21.1% | – |
| Readmitted: PneumoniaWithin 30 days | 16.9% | 17.4% | – |
| Readmitted: COPD (chronic lung disease)Within 30 days | 19.1% | 19.5% | – |
| Readmitted: Hip or knee replacementWithin 30 days | 6.5% | – | – |
| Extra days back in hospital after heart failure | -32.1 | – | – |
| Chemotherapy patients admitted to hospital | 12.6 Same as national | – | – |
| Chemotherapy patients visiting the ER | 6.7 Same as national | – | – |
| Hospital visits after outpatient surgery | 0.90 As expected | – | – |
| Timely care | |||
| Sepsis: got all recommended early treatmentHigher is better | – | 60% | 79% |
| Typical time in the ER before going homeLower is better | – | 124 min | 112 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeLower is better | – | 125 min | 458 min |
| Typical ER time for patients transferred to another facilityLower is better | – | 305 min | 235 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better | – | 1% | 0% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better | 59% | 61% | 61% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepineLower is better | 14% | 20% | – |
| Maternity | |||
| Maternity safety practices (CMS SM-7) | Yes | – | – |
| Birthing-friendly designation | Yes | – | – |
| Medicare programs | |||
| Hospital-acquired condition penalty1% payment cut this year | Not penalized | – | – |
| Medicare spending per patient1.00 = national median | 0.96 | – | – |
"Better" or "worse" means CMS found a statistically significant difference from the national rate. Figures without a verdict are shown for context; small differences may be chance. A dash means CMS has no result for that hospital, often because it treats too few patients for that measure. About the data.
How to compare hospitals
Start with the CMS overall star rating, which rolls up deaths, safety, readmissions, patient experience and timely care. Then look at the measures that matter for your situation: infection and complication results before surgery, maternity measures if you're expecting, and ER times for emergencies.
Most hospitals are "no different from national" on most measures. A single "worse" result covers one measure over a past period; ask the hospital about it rather than ruling it out. In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.