Watauga Medical Center vs Appalachian Regional Behavioral Healthcare vs Wilkes Regional Medical Center vs Blue Ridge Regional Hospital
Side by side on Medicare (CMS) ratings, patient survey results, ER times, infections, readmissions and more.
| 4 hospitals | Watauga Medical Center Boone, NC ✕ Remove | Appalachian Regional Behavioral Healthcare Linville, NC ✕ Remove | Wilkes Regional Medical Center North Wilkesboro, NC ✕ Remove | Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Spruce Pine, NC ✕ Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||||
| Location | Boone, NC | Linville, NC | North Wilkesboro, NC | Spruce Pine, NC |
| Hospital type | Acute care | Psychiatric | Acute care | Critical Access |
| Ownership | Government - Local | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private | Government - Local | Voluntary Non-Profit - Private |
| Emergency room | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Beds | 105 | – | 130 | – |
| Ratings | ||||
| CMS overall star ratingMedicare's summary of quality measures | 3 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Patient survey ratingHCAHPS summary star rating | 4 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Would definitely recommend | 77% of patients | – | 63% of patients | 71% of patients |
| Nurse communicationPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Doctor communicationPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Communication about medicinesPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Discharge informationPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| CleanlinessPatient survey stars | 3 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Quiet at nightPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Overall hospital ratingPatient survey stars | 4 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Would recommendPatient survey stars | 5 of 5 | – | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Google rating | 3.0 of 5 (197 reviews) | – | 2.0 of 5 (41 reviews) | – |
| Emergency room | ||||
| Typical ER visitMedian minutes, patients sent home | 3 hr 12 min | – | 2 hr 44 min | 1 hr 55 min |
| Left before being seen | 1% | – | 3% | 0% |
| ER volume | Medium | – | Medium | Low |
| Safety | ||||
| Hospital-acquired infectionsCompared with national | 1 better · 0 worse of 4 compared | – | 1 better · 0 worse of 4 compared | 0 better · 0 worse of 1 compared |
| Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) | Same as national | – | Same as national | – |
| Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) | Same as national | – | Same as national | – |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | Same as national | – | Same as national | – |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better than national | – | Better than national | Same as national |
| Serious complications (PSI 90) | Same as national | – | Same as national | – |
| Death rate: Heart attack patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 11.9% | – | – | – |
| Death rate: Heart failure patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 9.3% | – | 11.4% | 14.7% |
| Death rate: Pneumonia patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 17.8% | – | 14.7% | 14.8% |
| Death rate: Stroke patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 10.6% | – | 16.4% | 15.9% |
| Death rate: COPD patientsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 9.8% | – | 8.4% | – |
| Death rate: Hospital-wide, all conditionsWithin 30 days, risk-adjusted | 3.5% | – | 4.4% | 4.8% |
| Readmissions | ||||
| Readmitted: Heart attackWithin 30 days | 13.4% | – | – | – |
| Readmitted: Heart failureWithin 30 days | 20.9% | – | 21.3% | 23.2% |
| Readmitted: PneumoniaWithin 30 days | 18.0% | – | 16.7% | 16.2% |
| Readmitted: COPD (chronic lung disease)Within 30 days | 20.6% | – | 19.3% | 19.2% |
| Readmitted: Hip or knee replacementWithin 30 days | 5.1% | – | – | – |
| Extra days back in hospital after heart attack | -33.1 | – | – | – |
| Extra days back in hospital after heart failure | -13.1 | – | -3 | -1.6 |
| Extra days back in hospital after pneumonia | +28.5 | – | -0.5 | -15.1 |
| Hospital visits within 7 days of an outpatient colonoscopy | 12.1 Same as national | – | 12.7 Same as national | 12.9 Same as national |
| Chemotherapy patients admitted to hospital | 9.1 Same as national | – | 11.9 Same as national | – |
| Chemotherapy patients visiting the ER | 6.8 Same as national | – | 5.6 Same as national | – |
| Hospital visits after outpatient surgery | 0.90 As expected | – | 1.00 As expected | 0.90 As expected |
| Timely care | ||||
| Sepsis: got all recommended early treatmentHigher is better | 44% | – | 68% | 86% |
| Septic shock: full treatment within 3 hoursHigher is better | 42% | – | 86% | 88% |
| Stroke: brain scan read within 45 minutes of ER arrivalHigher is better | 60% | – | 67% | 55% |
| Typical time in the ER before going homeLower is better | 192 min | – | 164 min | 115 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeLower is better | 211 min | – | 115 min | 245 min |
| Typical ER time for patients transferred to another facilityLower is better | 453 min | – | 376 min | 370 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better | 1% | – | 3% | 0% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better | 92% | – | 87% | 72% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepineLower is better | 15% | – | 23% | 26% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better | 97% | – | 93% | 41% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better | – | – | 87% | – |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better | 97% | – | 97% | – |
| Stroke: clot prevention started by day 2Higher is better | 92% | – | 96% | – |
| Maternity | ||||
| Maternity safety practices (CMS SM-7) | Yes | – | Yes | – |
| Birthing-friendly designation | Yes | – | Yes | – |
| Medicare programs | ||||
| Hospital-acquired condition penalty1% payment cut this year | Not penalized | – | Penalized | – |
| Value-based purchasing scoreOut of 100; median 29.5 | 35.8 | – | 37 | – |
| Medicare spending per patient1.00 = national median | 0.95 | – | 1.02 | – |
"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.