Complications & Deaths Measures
20
CMS-tracked
Arkansas · Acute Care
Baptist Health - Fort Smith
According to PlainHospital's CMS star-rating ranking (CMS Hospital Compare overall stars), Baptist Health - Fort Smith ranks #2368 of 3182 rated US hospitals by overall star rating (highest = #1).
- 2★
- CMS overall rating
- 6th pct.
- national percentile
- #2368 of 3182
- Corpus placement
- 20
- Quality measures
- 6
- Infection types
Data currency: Hospital quality, safety, and patient-experience measures from the CMS Care Compare program (published quarterly), last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for source dates. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
1001 Towson Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901 · Sebastian County · (479) 441-4000
The verdict
According to PlainHospital's CMS star-rating ranking (CMS Hospital Compare overall stars), Baptist Health - Fort Smith ranks #2368 of 3182 rated US hospitals by overall star rating (highest = #1). That corpus rank reflects a below-median CMS star rating nationally, with 2 quality measures beating the national benchmark (1 worse).
- 6th pct.
- CMS star rating vs 3,182 rated US hospitals
- #2368 of 3182
- rated-hospital corpus placement
- 2
- measures better than national of 24 compared
- Yes
- emergency department on site
Since the last CMS release
This hospital held its 2-star rating across the May 2026 and August 2026 CMS releases.
CMS replaces its file at each release rather than publishing a changelog, so this comparison exists only because the earlier release is kept on file. See what changed nationally.
Where Baptist Health - Fort Smith sits among rated US hospitals
2 Top 94% higher than 6% of 3,182 rated hospitals
CMS star rating (1–5 stars), bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more rated hospitals. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CMS Hospital Compare, overall hospital rating · 2026-08-14
Baptist Health - Fort Smith vs. Arkansas and the nation
- Baptist Health - For…
Baptist Health - Fort Smith
2 stars
- Arkansas avg
Arkansas state average
2.8 stars
- US avg
National average
3.2 stars
What this shows At 2 stars, Baptist Health - Fort Smith rates below the Arkansas average of 2.8 and below the national average of 3.2.
Type
Acute Care Hospitals
Ownership
Voluntary non-profit - Private
Emergency Services
Yes
Birthing Friendly
Yes
Patient Experience
17
HCAHPS domains
Infection Types
6
CDC NHSN
CMS Overall Star Rating 40.0%
2 of 5 stars
Quality profile vs. the national benchmark
Mortality 8 measures
Safety of care 6 measures
Readmission 10 measures
Better than national Same as national Worse than national
Quality Measures
| Measure | Score | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Abdominopelvic accidental puncture or laceration rate | 2.03 | Worse than National |
| CMS Medicare PSI 90: Patient safety and adverse events composite | 1.3 | Same as National |
| Death rate among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications | 169.06 | Same as National |
| Death rate for CABG surgery patients | 2.7 | Same as National |
| Death rate for COPD patients | 9.1 | Same as National |
| Death rate for heart attack patients | 12.3 | Same as National |
| Death rate for heart failure patients | 10.5 | Same as National |
| Death rate for pneumonia patients | 14.4 | Same as National |
| Death rate for stroke patients | 13.2 | Same as National |
| Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Risk Standardized Mortality Rate | 4.8 | Same as National |
| Iatrogenic pneumothorax rate | 0.16 | Same as National |
| In-hospital fall-associated fracture rate | 0.25 | Same as National |
| Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate | 3.04 | Same as National |
| Postoperative acute kidney injury requiring dialysis rate | 1.31 | Same as National |
| Postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma rate | 2.13 | Same as National |
Patient Experience (HCAHPS)
Experience profile vs. the national average
Source: CMS Hospital Compare, HCAHPS patient survey star ratings.
| Survey Question | Star Rating |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness - linear mean score | N/A |
| Cleanliness - star rating | 3 |
| Communication about medicines - linear mean score | N/A |
| Communication about medicines - star rating | 2 |
| Discharge information - linear mean score | N/A |
| Discharge information - star rating | 3 |
| Doctor communication - linear mean score | N/A |
| Doctor communication - star rating | 2 |
| Nurse communication - linear mean score | N/A |
| Nurse communication - star rating | 2 |
| Overall hospital rating - linear mean score | N/A |
| Overall hospital rating - star rating | 3 |
| Quietness - linear mean score | N/A |
| Quietness - star rating | 3 |
| Recommend hospital - linear mean score | N/A |
| Recommend hospital - star rating | 4 |
| Summary star rating | 3 |
Safety & Infections
| Measure | Score | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards) | 0.388 | Same as National |
| Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards) | 0.64 | Same as National |
| Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff) | 0.228 | Better than National |
| MRSA Bacteremia | 1.389 | Same as National |
| SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy | N/A | Not Available |
| SSI - Colon Surgery | 1.002 | Same as National |
Staffing & Spending
Unplanned Visits & Readmissions
| Measure | Score | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) 30-Day Readmission Rate | 13.8 | Same as National |
| Heart failure (HF) 30-Day Readmission Rate | 21.9 | Same as National |
| Hospital return days for heart attack patients | 10.6 | Average Days per 100 Discharges |
| Hospital return days for heart failure patients | 34.6 | More Days Than Average per 100 Discharges |
| Hospital return days for pneumonia patients | 0.1 | Average Days per 100 Discharges |
| Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Readmission Measure (HWR) | 15.2 | Same as National |
| Pneumonia (PN) 30-Day Readmission Rate | 15.3 | Same as National |
| Rate of emergency department (ED) visits for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy | 5.3 | Same as National |
| Rate of inpatient admissions for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy | 10.8 | Same as National |
| Rate of readmission after hip/knee replacement | N/A | Number of Cases Too Small |
| Rate of readmission for CABG | 11 | Same as National |
| Rate of readmission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients | 18.7 | Same as National |
| Rate of unplanned hospital visits after colonoscopy (per 1,000 colonoscopies) | 14.1 | Same as National |
| Ratio of unplanned hospital visits after hospital outpatient surgery | 1 | Same as National |
Medicare Spending
| Measure | Score |
|---|---|
| Medicare hospital spending per patient (Medicare Spending per Beneficiary) | 1.01 |
Maternal Health
| Measure | Score |
|---|---|
| Cesarean Birth | N/A |
| Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure | N/A |
| Risk Adjusted Severe Obstetric Complications (All) | N/A |
| Risk Adjusted Severe Obstetric Complications (excluding blood-transfusion-only cases) | N/A |
Nationwide hospitals with similar CMS profiles
Two Hospital Compare peer sets for Baptist Health - Fort Smith, both outside Arkansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state list below.
Similar CMS star rating
Nearest overall stars outside AR (2/5 here).
Similar mortality outcomes
Nearest mortality measures rated better than national, outside AR (0 better here).
Nearby Hospitals in Arkansas
Other Medicare-certified hospitals in Arkansas.
One of 90 Medicare-certified hospitals in Arkansas, 6 are shown here.
Arkansas Children's Hospital
Little Rock, AR
No rating Childrens
Arkansas Children's Northwest, Inc
Springdale, AR
No rating Childrens
Arkansas Heart Hospital, LLC
Little Rock, AR
3/5
Acute Care Hospitals
Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore
Bryant, AR
2/5
Acute Care Hospitals
Arkansas Methodist Medical Center
Paragould, AR
2/5
Acute Care Hospitals
Arkansas State Hospital
Little Rock, AR
No rating Psychiatric
Compare Baptist Health - Fort Smith vs Arkansas Children's Hospital →
Hospital Quality Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Baptist Health - Fort Smith compare to other hospitals on CMS star rating?
According to PlainHospital's CMS star-rating ranking, Baptist Health - Fort Smith ranks #2368 of 3182 rated US hospitals by overall star rating (highest = #1). That ordinal matches our top-rated hospital listing (star_rating DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
What is the CMS star rating for Baptist Health - Fort Smith?
Baptist Health - Fort Smith has an overall CMS star rating of 2 out of 5, below the 3.2-star national average.
How does Baptist Health - Fort Smith perform on quality measures?
2 of 24 compared mortality, safety, and readmission measures rate better than the national average at Baptist Health - Fort Smith; 1 rate worse.
What do patients say about Baptist Health - Fort Smith?
Baptist Health - Fort Smith reports 17 HCAHPS patient-experience domain scores. Star ratings range from 2 to 4 out of 5.
What are the infection rates at Baptist Health - Fort Smith?
Baptist Health - Fort Smith tracks 6 healthcare-associated infection types (CDC NHSN). 1 are better than the national benchmark, 0 are worse, and 4 are at the national average.
Does Baptist Health - Fort Smith have emergency services?
Yes, Baptist Health - Fort Smith provides emergency services.
What type of hospital is Baptist Health - Fort Smith?
Baptist Health - Fort Smith is a Acute Care Hospitals facility with Voluntary non-profit - Private ownership, located in Fort Smith, AR. This facility has received the CMS Birthing-Friendly designation.
How much does Medicare spend at Baptist Health - Fort Smith?
1 Medicare spending category is on file for Baptist Health - Fort Smith, per episode vs. the national median.
Does Baptist Health - Fort Smith offer maternal health services?
Yes, Baptist Health - Fort Smith reports 4 maternal health measures. This facility has been designated as Birthing-Friendly by CMS.
Data Sources
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare. Last refreshed from CMS: . About PlainHospital
Read our methodology & full data source list
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