Palomar Medical CenterEscondido, CA
Palomar Medical Center is a public acute care hospital in Escondido, California, with an emergency department. As of the July 2026 CMS release, patients treated and sent home spend a median of 3 hr 51 min in its emergency department, 48 min longer than the California average of 3 hr 3 min. Medicare rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall, and patients give it 2 out of 5 in the Medicare patient survey.
(760) 739-3000 Visit Website- Time ZonePST
- CountySan Diego
- Emergency CapableYes
- FIPS6073
- Area Code760
Visiting Palomar Medical Center
- Photo ID and your insurance, Medicare or Medicaid card
- A list of your medicines, doses and allergies
- Your doctor's name and phone number
- A phone charger
Quality and performance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · data as of July 2026
Patients spend an average of 3 hours 51 minutes in the emergency department at Palomar Medical Center. That is 48 minutes longer than the California average of 3 hours 3 minutes.
Source: CMS Hospital General Information and Timely & Effective Care. Wait times are a median over a past 12-month reporting period, not live data. Not affiliated with CMS or with Palomar Medical Center. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Compare ER waits across California · How California hospitals rank on star ratings · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 2,384 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave Palomar Medical Center a 2-star patient experience rating out of 5. 66% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 66% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10.
The patient survey (HCAHPS) asks a random sample of adult patients about their recent hospital stay. CMS adjusts the results for the mix of patients and how the survey was done, so hospitals can be compared fairly. About the data.
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
Of the 5 hospital-acquired infections CMS could compare, Palomar Medical Center was better than the national benchmark on 1 and worse on 0. Its rate of serious complications was same as national.
Hospital-acquired infections
Serious complications
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack patients | 13.1% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure patients | 11.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 16.1% | 15.2% |
| Stroke patients | 13.6% | 11.9% |
| COPD patients | 11.3% | 8.6% |
| Coronary bypass (CABG) surgery patients | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 3.9% | 3.9% |
Risk-adjusted rates. CMS has not published a statistical better/worse comparison for these death rates in the current release, so small differences from the U.S. rate may be chance.
Other complications
None of the other safety indicators CMS compares was statistically better or worse than national.
All 12 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications after hip or knee replacement% of patients | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not compared |
| Deaths among surgical patients with serious treatable complicationsper 1,000 patients | 215.31 | 173.3 | Same as national |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores)per 1,000 patients | 0.79 | 0.63 | Same as national |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a broken boneper 1,000 patients | 0.29 | 0.27 | Same as national |
| Collapsed lung caused by a medical procedureper 1,000 patients | 0.2 | 0.21 | Same as national |
| Bleeding or blood clot under the skin after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.64 | 2.34 | Same as national |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.44 | 1.67 | Same as national |
| Respiratory failure after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 5.75 | 9.42 | Same as national |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.65 | 3.52 | Same as national |
| Bloodstream infection (sepsis) after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 6.13 | 5.27 | Same as national |
| Surgical wound splitting openper 1,000 patients | 2.28 | 1.77 | Same as national |
| Accidental cuts or tears during abdominal surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.11 | 1.06 | Same as national |
"Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national benchmark statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Infection results compare the infections a hospital reported with the number predicted for a hospital of its size and type (a ratio below 1 means fewer than predicted), for Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. Death and complication rates are risk-adjusted for how sick patients were. Each death rate counts deaths within 30 days of a hospital stay, pooled over one to three years of Medicare patients depending on the measure. About the data.
Nearby ERs with shorter visits
Readmissions and return visits
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Medicare patients · Jul 2023 – Jun 2025
On the 4 readmission and return-visit measures CMS could compare, Palomar Medical Center was no different from the national rate or its expected level.
Back in the hospital within 30 days
| After a stay for | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart attack | 13.7% | 14.4% | Not compared |
| Heart failure | 22.6% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 17.3% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 19.5% | 20% | Not compared |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) | 10.5% | 11% | Not compared |
| Hip or knee replacement | 5.4% | 5.8% | Not compared |
Return trips after a stay or procedure
Medicare's readmission program
Excess readmission ratio: this hospital's predicted readmissions divided by the number expected for a typical hospital with the same patients. Above 1.00 means more readmissions than expected. 3 of 6 conditions are above 1.00.
| Condition | Ratio | Patients | Readmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement | 1.139 | – | More than expected |
| Heart failure | 1.099 | 363 | More than expected |
| Heart attack | 1.021 | 199 | More than expected |
| Heart bypass surgery | 0.959 | – | Fewer than expected |
| COPD | 0.956 | 93 | Fewer than expected |
| Pneumonia | 0.863 | 503 | Fewer than expected |
Readmission rates count Medicare patients who were admitted to any acute-care hospital within 30 days of leaving this one, adjusted for how sick they were. "Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national rate statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Return-day and outpatient-surgery measures compare the hospital with what CMS expected for its own patients. The Readmissions Reduction Program ratios are shown as CMS publishes them; whether a hospital's payments are reduced depends on how its ratios compare with similar hospitals, so a ratio above 1.00 alone doesn't mean a penalty. About the data.
Timely and effective care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · all patients unless noted · Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Palomar Medical Center's emergency department is classed by CMS as very high volume.
| Measure | This hospital | U.S.* |
|---|---|---|
| Sepsis: got all recommended early treatmentPatients with severe sepsis or septic shock who received every step of the recommended early care bundle. Higher is better. 123 patients. | 70% | 65% |
| Septic shock: full treatment within 3 hoursHigher is better. 48 patients. | 90% | 73% |
| Stroke: brain scan read within 45 minutes of ER arrivalPatients arriving with stroke symptoms whose head CT or MRI was interpreted within 45 minutes. Higher is better. 15 patients. | 67% | 69% |
| Heart attack (STEMI): timely clot-busting or artery-opening careHigher is better. 43 patients. | 74% | 53%* |
| Typical time in the ER before going homeMedian minutes from arrival to leaving, for ER patients sent home (not counting mental health patients or transfers). Lower is better. 346 patients. | 231 min | 162 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeMedian minutes from arrival to leaving. Lower is better. 20 patients. | 294 min | 257 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 88,710 patients. | 2% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 5,314 patients. | 61% | 78% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepinePatients sent home with prescriptions that raise the risk of overdose when combined. Lower is better. 5,393 patients. | 11% | 15% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 22 patients. | 100% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 9,589 patients. | 84% | 90%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 1,986 patients. | 93% | 97%* |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 307 patients. | 95% | 98%* |
CMS publishes these process-of-care measures without a better/worse verdict, so the U.S. figure is shown for context; small differences, or results based on few patients, may not mean much. *Median of all hospitals CMS reports, where CMS publishes no national figure. About the data.
Maternity care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · reported by the hospital · Jan 2024 – Dec 2024
Maternity measures are reported by hospitals that deliver babies. The U.S. figure is the median of the hospitals CMS reports, not a CMS verdict. About the data.
Medicare spending and payment programs
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Value-based purchasing scores by area
| Area | Score (out of 100) |
|---|---|
| Clinical outcomesDeath rates and complications | 11.7 |
| Patient experiencePatient survey results | 17 |
| SafetyHospital-acquired infections | 46.7 |
| Efficiency and costMedicare spending per patient | 0 |
The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program cuts Medicare payments by 1% for the quarter of hospitals with the worst scores. The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program withholds a small share of every hospital's Medicare payments and pays it back according to the total performance score. A spending ratio of 1.00 equals the national median; spending reflects prices, the services patients received and care after discharge, not quality. Some hospitals, such as critical access, children's and cancer hospitals, are not part of these programs. About the data.
Doctors at Palomar Medical Center
306 Medicare-enrolled doctors and other clinicians list this hospital as an affiliation, across 27 specialties.
What Medicare paid at Palomar Medical Center
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · original Medicare patients · 2024
Average hospital charges and actual payments for the procedures Medicare patients most often had here, compared with the average for California.
Hospital stays
| Stay | Stays | Avg charge | Avg payment | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Septicemia or severe sepsis without ventilator >96 hours with major complicationsDRG 871 | 342 | $176,671 | $17,030 | −26% |
| Heart failure and shock with major complicationsDRG 291 | 153 | $105,283 | $10,128 | −35% |
| Simple pneumonia and pleurisy with major complicationsDRG 193 | 122 | $126,156 | $11,223 | −26% |
| Respiratory infections and inflammations with major complicationsDRG 177 | 121 | $145,166 | $13,288 | −30% |
| Septicemia or severe sepsis without ventilator >96 hours without major complicationsDRG 872 | 90 | $100,072 | $9,428 | −25% |
| Kidney and urinary tract infections with major complicationsDRG 689 | 80 | $98,168 | $8,849 | −32% |
| Other kidney and urinary tract diagnoses with major complicationsDRG 698 | 78 | $128,082 | $12,817 | −34% |
| Kidney and urinary tract infections without major complicationsDRG 690 | 75 | $76,721 | $6,665 | −31% |
Outpatient services
| Service | Services | Avg charge | Avg allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Observation ServicesAPC 8011 | 527 | $51,028 | $2,709 |
| Level 5 Musculoskeletal ProceduresAPC 5115 | 222 | $88,607 | $9,770 |
| Level 1 Endovascular ProceduresAPC 5191 | 59 | $38,936 | $2,891 |
| Level 2 Excision/Biopsy/Incision and DrainageAPC 5072 | 55 | $14,123 | $1,309 |
| Level 3 Electrophysiologic ProceduresAPC 5213 | 50 | $221,938 | $17,022 |
Charges are the hospital's list prices; payments are what Medicare, the patient and any other insurer actually paid (for outpatient services, Medicare's allowed amount). Private insurance prices differ. "vs state" compares this hospital's average payment with the state average for the same stay. All procedure costs.
Size and finances
Medicare cost report · fiscal year ending Jun 2025
As reported by the hospital to CMS; not audited. Operating margin is income from patient care divided by net patient revenue and leaves out investment income and donations. Compare California hospital finances.
Who owns Palomar Medical Center
Medicare enrollment and ownership records (PECOS)
Medicare lists the hospital's legal name as Palomar Health, a non-profit organization, incorporated 1933.
541 doctors and other clinicians list Palomar Medical Center as a hospital affiliation in Medicare's clinician directory.
Organizations with 5% or more ownership (directly or through other companies), partnership interests or operational control, as the hospital reported them to Medicare. Records can lag behind recent sales. Individuals are not listed. Who owns America's hospitals.
The area around Palomar Medical Center
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (7 designations). Highest shortage score 17.
Mental health: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (10 designations). Highest shortage score 18.
Dental: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (10 designations). Highest shortage score 20.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in California earn a median $140,270 a year. Healthcare salaries in California.
Shortage areas are designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration where there are too few primary care, mental health or dental providers for the population; scores run from 0 to 25 for primary and mental health care and 0 to 26 for dental care, higher meaning greater need. California shortage areas
Find doctors in Escondido
Medicare-enrolled specialists with a practice in Escondido, with addresses, phone numbers and the hospitals they work with.
Care after a stay at Palomar Medical Center
Medicare-certified providers near this hospital, with their CMS ratings. A hospital discharge planner can make the referral.
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 3.9mi DaVita Hidden ValleyEscondido, CA
- 4.1mi DaVita Escondido DialysisEscondido, CA
- 5.9mi DaVita San Marcos Dialysis CenterSan Marcos, CA
Home health agencies nearby See more
- 4.1mi Emerald Triune Home Health Services, INCEscondido, CA · 77% would recommend
- 4.1mi Uni Care Home Health INCEscondido, CA
- 4.1mi Direct Care Nursing CorporationEscondido, CA Not rated
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 4.1mi Elizabeth HospiceEscondido, CA · 81% would recommend
- 4.1mi Uni Care Hospice INCEscondido, CA · 83% would recommend
- 4.1mi Ahpc San Diego INCEscondido, CA Not rated
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
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The badge updates automatically when CMS publishes new ratings. About badges.