Mental Health Institute vs Sanford Sheldon Medical Center vs Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital vs Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
Side by side on Medicare (CMS) ratings, patient survey results, ER times, infections, readmissions and more.
| 4 hospitals | Mental Health Institute Cherokee, IA ✕ Remove | Sanford Sheldon Medical Center Sheldon, IA ✕ Remove | Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital Rock Rapids, IA ✕ Remove | Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Storm Lake, IA ✕ Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||||
| Location | Cherokee, IA | Sheldon, IA | Rock Rapids, IA | Storm Lake, IA |
| Hospital type | Psychiatric | Critical Access | Critical Access | Critical Access |
| Ownership | Government - State | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private | Government - Local |
| Emergency room | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beds | 110 | – | – | – |
| Ratings | ||||
| CMS overall star ratingMedicare's summary of quality measures | – | – | – | 2 of 5 |
| Patient survey ratingHCAHPS summary star rating | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Would definitely recommend | – | 72% of patients | – | 80% of patients |
| Nurse communicationPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 4 of 5 |
| Doctor communicationPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Communication about medicinesPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Discharge informationPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| CleanlinessPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Quiet at nightPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 4 of 5 |
| Overall hospital ratingPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Would recommendPatient survey stars | – | – | – | 5 of 5 |
| Google rating | 3.0 of 5 (28 reviews) | 4.0 of 5 (12 reviews) | 5.0 of 5 (1 reviews) | 3.0 of 5 (15 reviews) |
| Emergency room | ||||
| Typical ER visitMedian minutes, patients sent home | – | 2 hr 3 min | 1 hr 45 min | 2 hr 32 min |
| Left before being seen | – | 0% | – | 1% |
| ER volume | – | Low | – | Low |
| Safety | ||||
| Death rate: Heart failure patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | – | – | – | 18.1% |
| Death rate: Pneumonia patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | – | 16.7% | – | 17.7% |
| Death rate: Hospital-wide, all conditionsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | – | 4.5% | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Readmissions | ||||
| Readmitted: Heart failureWithin 30 days | – | – | – | 20.9% |
| Readmitted: PneumoniaWithin 30 days | – | 17.8% | – | 16.2% |
| Extra days back in hospital after heart failure | – | – | – | -2 |
| Extra days back in hospital after pneumonia | – | +9.2 | – | -7.2 |
| Chemotherapy patients admitted to hospital | – | – | – | 11.2 Same as national |
| Chemotherapy patients visiting the ER | – | – | – | 5.5 Same as national |
| Timely care | ||||
| Typical time in the ER before going homeLower is better | – | 123 min | 105 min | 152 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeLower is better | – | 246 min | 202 min | 350 min |
| Typical ER time for patients transferred to another facilityLower is better | – | – | 194 min | 239 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better | – | 0% | – | 1% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better | – | – | 86% | 94% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepineLower is better | – | 16% | – | 12% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better | – | – | – | 86% |
"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.