Waldo County General HospitalBelfast, ME
Waldo County General Hospital is a non-profit critical access hospital in Belfast, Maine, with an emergency department. As of the July 2026 CMS release, patients treated and sent home spend a median of 2 hr 32 min in its emergency department, 11 min shorter than the Maine average of 2 hr 43 min. Medicare rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall, and patients give it 4 out of 5 in the Medicare patient survey.
(207) 338-2500 Visit Website- Time ZoneEST
- CountyWaldo
- Emergency CapableYes
- FIPS23027
- Area Code207
Visiting Waldo County General Hospital
- 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 2 hours 32 minutes in the emergency department at Waldo County General Hospital. That is 11 minutes shorter than the Maine average of 2 hours 43 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 Waldo County General Hospital. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Compare ER waits across Maine · How Maine hospitals rank on star ratings · Other Critical Access hospitals in Maine · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 258 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave Waldo County General Hospital a 4-star patient experience rating out of 5. 77% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 77% 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
Waldo County General Hospital was no different from the national benchmark on all 2 hospital-acquired infections CMS could compare.
Hospital-acquired infections
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart failure patients | 14.9% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 15.0% | 15.2% |
| Stroke patients | 11.2% | 11.9% |
| COPD patients | 7.9% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 4.0% | 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.
"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 3 readmission and return-visit measures CMS could compare, Waldo County General Hospital 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 failure | 21.2% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 17.8% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 19.3% | 20% | Not compared |
Return trips after a stay or procedure
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
Waldo County General Hospital's emergency department is classed by CMS as low volume.
| Measure | This hospital | U.S.* |
|---|---|---|
| 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. 383 patients. | 152 min | 162 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeMedian minutes from arrival to leaving. Lower is better. 14 patients. | 236 min | 257 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 14,995 patients. | 2% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 799 patients. | 93% | 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. 233 patients. | 15% | 15% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 60 patients. | 43% | 93% |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 33 patients. | 91% | 98%* |
| Stroke: clot prevention started by day 2Higher is better. 29 patients. | 100% | 94%* |
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.
Doctors at Waldo County General Hospital
124 Medicare-enrolled doctors and other clinicians list this hospital as an affiliation, across 26 specialties.
Size and finances
Medicare cost report · fiscal year ending Sep 2024
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 Maine hospital finances.
Who owns Waldo County General Hospital
Medicare enrollment and ownership records (PECOS)
Medicare lists the hospital's legal name as Mainehealth, a non-profit organization, incorporated 1951.
258 doctors and other clinicians list Waldo County General Hospital 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 Waldo County General Hospital
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Parts of Waldo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (3 designations). Highest shortage score 15.
Mental health: Parts of Waldo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (2 designations). Highest shortage score 17.
Dental: Parts of Waldo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (5 designations). Highest shortage score 18.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in Maine earn a median $86,990 a year. Healthcare salaries in Maine.
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. Maine shortage areas
Find doctors in Belfast
Medicare-enrolled specialists with a practice in Belfast, with addresses, phone numbers and the hospitals they work with.
Care after a stay at Waldo County General Hospital
Medicare-certified providers near this hospital, with their CMS ratings. A hospital discharge planner can make the referral.
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 4.1mi Dialysis Clinic Inc. - BelfastBelfast, ME
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 17mi Mainehealth Home Health and HospiceRockport, ME · 89% would recommend
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
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