Acute Care Hospital

Baptist Health-Fort Smith

1001 Towson Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901

Part of Baptist Healthsee all 18 affiliated facilities

24/7 Emergency Services Nonprofit
2 out of 5 Stars Why 2 stars? Baptist Health-Fort Smith's 2-star rating reflects roughly average performance across all CMS quality domains.

CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating · Baptist Health-Fort Smith

How was Baptist Health-Fort Smith's 2-star rating calculated?

The CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating applies to acute care hospitals like Baptist Health-Fort Smith. CMS standardizes every underlying measure against the national rate, computes a weighted score for each of five domains, sums them by the fixed weights below, and assigns 1–5 stars using k-means clustering across all reporting hospitals.

Domains that fed Baptist Health-Fort Smith's rating
Domain Weight Measures reported Hospital performance vs. national
Mortality 22% 7 of 7 0 better 7 same 0 worse
Safety of Care 22% 17 of 19 1 better 14 same 2 worse
Readmissions 22% 5 of 6 1 better 3 same 1 worse
Timely & Effective Care 12% 17 of 22 6 better 6 same 5 worse
Patient Experience 22% HCAHPS See HCAHPS detail below

How star meaning varies by hospital type. This CMS Overall Star Rating only applies to acute care hospitals. Children's hospitals (Pediatric Quality), psychiatric hospitals (IPFQR), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF QRP), long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH QRP), and VA medical centers each use separate quality programs designed for their patient populations. Comparing star ratings across these facility types isn't meaningful — see the methodology page for the full mapping of which program applies to which facility.

How CareRanks computes ratings → · CMS official methodology ↗

Emergency & urgent care

How this emergency department performs on the measures that matter most when you need care fast.

114 min Typical ER visit before heading home Better than ~75% of hospitals · national median 148 min
2% Walked out before being seen Worse than ~75% of hospitals · national median 1%
72% Recommended sepsis care given Near the national median of 64%

From CMS Timely & Effective Care reporting.

Quality measures

Mortality

Same as National Average

Measures the rate at which patients die within 30 days of hospital admission for specific conditions. A lower mortality rate indicates better outcomes.

Underlying measures: Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Risk Standardized Mortality Rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 4.80 95% interval: 4.10 – 5.60 Sample size: 1,406 Reporting period: 07/01/2023 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: Hybrid_HWM Death rate for CABG surgery patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 2.70 95% interval: 1.20 – 5.80 Sample size: 56 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_CABG Death rate for COPD patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 9.10 95% interval: 6.70 – 12.30 Sample size: 230 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_COPD Death rate for heart attack patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 12.30 95% interval: 9.80 – 15.10 Sample size: 246 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_AMI Death rate for heart failure patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 10.50 95% interval: 8.50 – 12.80 Sample size: 496 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_HF Death rate for pneumonia patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 14.40 95% interval: 12.10 – 16.80 Sample size: 584 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_PN Death rate for stroke patients No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 13.20 95% interval: 10.00 – 16.90 Sample size: 197 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: MORT_30_STK

Safety of Care

Same as National Average

Tracks hospital-acquired infections, surgical complications, and other patient safety indicators. Lower rates indicate better safety practices.

Underlying measures: Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff) Better than the National Benchmark Hospital score: 0.23 SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_6_SIR Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards) No Different than National Benchmark Hospital score: 0.39 SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_2_SIR Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards) No Different than National Benchmark Hospital score: 0.64 SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_1_SIR Iatrogenic pneumothorax rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 0.16 95% interval: 0.00 – 0.36 Sample size: 6,277 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_06 In-hospital fall-associated fracture rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 0.25 95% interval: 0.06 – 0.44 Sample size: 6,598 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_08 MRSA Bacteremia No Different than National Benchmark Hospital score: 1.39 SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_5_SIR Postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 2.13 95% interval: 0.67 – 3.59 Sample size: 1,214 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_09 Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 3.04 95% interval: 0.99 – 5.09 Sample size: 1,333 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_12 Postoperative acute kidney injury requiring dialysis rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 1.31 95% interval: 0.00 – 2.84 Sample size: 361 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_10 Postoperative respiratory failure rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 8.25 95% interval: 1.42 – 15.08 Sample size: 356 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_11 Postoperative sepsis rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 5.07 95% interval: 1.43 – 8.71 Sample size: 346 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_13 CMS Medicare PSI 90: Patient safety and adverse events composite No Different Than the National Value Hospital score: 1.30 95% interval: 1.00 – 1.61 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_90 SSI - Colon Surgery No Different than National Benchmark Hospital score: 1.00 SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_3_SIR Death rate among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 169.06 95% interval: 116.09 – 222.03 Sample size: 57 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_04 Postoperative wound dehiscence rate No Different Than the National Rate Hospital score: 1.89 95% interval: 0.44 – 3.35 Sample size: 311 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_14 Abdominopelvic accidental puncture or laceration rate Worse Than the National Rate Hospital score: 2.03 95% interval: 1.10 – 2.95 Sample size: 1,295 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_15 Pressure ulcer rate Worse Than the National Rate Hospital score: 1.89 95% interval: 1.29 – 2.48 Sample size: 5,638 Reporting period: 07/01/2022 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: PSI_03 Rate of complications for hip/knee replacement patients Number of Cases Too Small Hospital score: — Reporting period: 04/01/2021 – 03/31/2024 CMS measure id: COMP_HIP_KNEE SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy Not Available Hospital score: — SIR Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: HAI_4_SIR

Readmissions

Same as National Average

Measures how often patients return to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Lower readmission rates suggest effective treatment and discharge planning.

Underlying measures: 30-day Readmission, Pneumonia Better than expected Hospital score: 0.95 Sample size: 627 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-PN-HRRP 30-day Readmission, Bypass Surgery As expected Hospital score: 1.03 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-CABG-HRRP 30-day Readmission, COPD As expected Hospital score: 1.03 Sample size: 260 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-COPD-HRRP 30-day Readmission, Heart Attack As expected Hospital score: 1.03 Sample size: 254 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-AMI-HRRP 30-day Readmission, Heart Failure Worse than expected Hospital score: 1.12 Sample size: 601 Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-HF-HRRP 30-day Readmission, Hip/Knee Replacement Hospital score: — Reporting period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024 CMS measure id: READM-30-HIP-KNEE-HRRP

Patient Experience

Same as National Average

Based on the HCAHPS survey — patient satisfaction with communication, cleanliness, pain management, and discharge information.

Patient survey detail — the questions feeding the Patient Experience domain above expand ↓

CMS computes the Patient Experience domain from the federal HCAHPS survey. Each bar below is one survey question; the percentage is the share of Baptist's recent patients who gave the most positive response. HCAHPS percentages aren't directly comparable across all measures — see the methodology page for how CMS weights them.

  • Communication with Nurses 71%
  • Communication with Doctors 74%
  • Hospital Cleanliness 66%
  • Hospital Quietness 58%
  • Staff Responsiveness N/A
  • Discharge Information 85%
  • Overall Hospital Rating (9 or 10) 65%
  • Would Recommend Hospital 68%

Percentages represent patients who gave the most positive response. Survey conducted by CMS through the HCAHPS program.

Timely & Effective Care

Same as National Average

Measures how quickly the hospital provides important treatments such as antibiotics for pneumonia or interventions for heart attacks.

Underlying measures: Average (median) time psychiatric/mental health patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit. A lower number of minutes is better Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 144.00 min National median: 248.00 min (lower is better) Sample size: 18 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: OP_18c Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, excluding patients transferred to another facility or psychiatric care/mental health patients. A lower number of minutes is better Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 114.00 min National median: 148.00 min (lower is better) Sample size: 316 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: OP_18b Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before being transferred to another facility. A lower number of minutes is better Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 219.00 min National median: 294.00 min (lower is better) Sample size: 39 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: OP_18d Average (median) time all patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, including psychiatric/mental health patients and patients who were transferred to another facility. A lower number of minutes is better Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 125.00 min National median: 154.00 min (lower is better) Sample size: 373 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: OP_18a Septic Shock 3-Hour Bundle Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 86.00 % National median: 72.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 104 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: SEP_SH_3HR Septic Shock 6-Hour Bundle Better than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 96.00 % National median: 89.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 79 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: SEP_SH_6HR Discharged on Antithrombotic Therapy Near the national median Hospital score: 97.00 % National median: 98.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 219 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: STK_02 Antithrombotic Therapy by End of Hospital Day 2 Near the national median Hospital score: 92.00 % National median: 94.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 210 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: STK_05 Safe Use of Opioids - Concurrent Prescribing Near the national median Hospital score: 17.00 % National median: 15.00 % (lower is better) Sample size: 3,069 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: SAFE_USE_OF_OPIOIDS Appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock Near the national median Hospital score: 72.00 % National median: 64.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 249 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: SEP_1 Severe Sepsis 3-Hour Bundle Near the national median Hospital score: 83.00 % National median: 81.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 249 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: SEV_SEP_3HR Severe Sepsis 6-Hour Bundle Near the national median Hospital score: 94.00 % National median: 94.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 147 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: SEV_SEP_6HR Anticoagulation Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter Worse than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 65.00 % National median: 75.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 66 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: STK_03 Endoscopy/polyp surveillance: appropriate follow-up interval for normal colonoscopy in average risk patients Worse than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 75.00 % National median: 97.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 145 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: OP_29 Head CT results Worse than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 53.00 % National median: 74.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 15 Reporting period: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 CMS measure id: OP_23 Left before being seen Worse than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 2.00 % National median: 1.00 % (lower is better) Sample size: 54,622 Reporting period: 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024 CMS measure id: OP_22 Healthcare workers given influenza vaccination Worse than ~75% of hospitals Hospital score: 62.00 % National median: 79.00 % (higher is better) Sample size: 1,641 Reporting period: 10/01/2024 – 03/31/2025 CMS measure id: IMM_3

Psychiatric Unit Quality (IPFQR)

Baptist Health-Fort Smith operates a Medicare-certified inpatient psychiatric unit that reports under the federal IPFQR program. The measures are specific to that unit — not the hospital as a whole. They cover restraint and seclusion use, screening for medication side effects, substance-use and tobacco treatment, transitions of care, follow-up after discharge, and readmissions.

Show the psychiatric unit's 9 reported measures expand ↓
Physical Restraint Use 0.0 hours per 1,000 patient-hours
National median: 0.1 hours Near national median

HBIPS-2 — hours of physical restraint use per 1,000 patient-hours. Lower is better; restraints carry physical and psychological risks.

Seclusion Use 0.0 hours per 1,000 patient-hours
National median: 0.0 hours Near national median

HBIPS-3 — hours of seclusion per 1,000 patient-hours. Lower is better; seclusion is used only when no other intervention works.

Metabolic Screening (SMD) 95.0 %
National median: 92.0 % Near national median

SMD — % of patients on antipsychotics screened for metabolic side effects (BMI, blood glucose, cholesterol). Antipsychotics raise metabolic-syndrome risk; screening catches it early.

Substance-Use Treatment Provided 0.0 %
National median: 74.0 % Worse than national median

SUB-2 — % of patients with alcohol/drug use referred for treatment during admission.

Transition Record Completed 91.0 %
National median: 77.0 % Better than national median

TR-1 — % of discharges with a completed transition record including medications, follow-up plan, and crisis instructions.

Follow-up Within 7 Days 28.6 %
National median: 35.4 % Worse than national median

FAPH-7 — % of patients with a follow-up outpatient mental-health visit within 7 days of discharge. Predicts lower readmission risk.

Follow-up Within 30 Days 49.2 %
National median: 60.7 % Worse than national median

FAPH-30 — % of patients with a follow-up outpatient mental-health visit within 30 days of discharge.

30-Day Readmission Rate 21.7 %
National median: 19.1 % Worse than national median

READM-30-IPF — risk-standardized 30-day readmission rate. No Different Than the National Rate

Influenza Immunization 79.0 %
National median: 87.0 % Near national median

IMM-2 — % of patients given a flu vaccine during the inpatient stay.

Source: CMS Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting Program. Reporting period ending 12/31/2024.

Clinical Staff

Baptist Health-Fort Smith has 382 CMS-affiliated clinicians on its roster — physicians, advanced practice providers, and other Medicare-enrolled professionals who list this hospital as an affiliated facility.

Top specialties

  • Family Practice 86
  • Nurse Practitioner 64
  • Internal Medicine 55
  • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Crna) 32
  • Cardiovascular Disease (Cardiology) 13
  • Physician Assistant 12
  • Diagnostic Radiology 10
  • Anesthesiology 10

Self-reported primary specialty in the CMS Doctors & Clinicians dataset. Many clinicians serve multiple facilities.

Practice characteristics

Accept Medicare assignment
378 (99%)

Bill Medicare directly at the approved rate — patients only owe co-insurance/deductible.

Offer telehealth
43 (11%)

Indicated by the clinician in their CMS profile as routinely providing virtual visits.

Medicare quality scoring (MIPS)

51 of these clinicians have a published Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) final score. Of those, 21 (41%) score above the national median of 85.5.

MIPS scoring is heavily compressed at the top of the 0–100 range, so individual scores are not a reliable consumer signal. We surface roster-level coverage and the share above the national median instead.

Source: CMS Doctors and Clinicians (Care Compare) national downloadable file and MIPS Performance Year final scores, as of 2026-07-18. Affiliations from the CMS Facility Affiliations dataset. About 16% of small facilities (critical access, rural emergency, freestanding psych, IRF/LTCH) do not appear in the affiliations file and therefore have no panel.

Find a Doctor

Search the 382 clinicians affiliated with Baptist Health-Fort Smith. Each name links to that clinician's official Medicare Care Compare profile, where you can see their credentials, secondary specialties, group affiliations, and (when applicable) MIPS quality scores.

Showing 30 of 382 clinicians (alphabetical)

Roster from CMS Doctors and Clinicians (Care Compare), updated 2026-07-18. A clinician may also practice at other facilities; "affiliated" means this hospital is on their CMS profile, not that they exclusively work here. Procedure volumes are Medicare fee-for-service counts from the CMS clinician utilization file (all practice locations, not just this hospital). Industry payment totals are from CMS Open Payments, program year 2024, and include meals, travel, consulting, and speaking fees; payments are legal and common — we show them for transparency, not as a quality judgment.

Pricing & Costs

Facility Information

Licensed beds
492
Facility type
Acute Care Hospitals
Ownership
Voluntary non-profit - Private
Emergency services
Yes — 24/7

Ownership & Finances

Ownership
Nonprofit
Charity care spend (FY2023)
$12M
List prices vs. actual cost
≈ 7.1× actual cost

From the hospital's FY2023 Medicare cost report (HCRIS).

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How Baptist Health-Fort Smith compares nearby

Compared with the 8 other acute-care hospitals within 50 miles — 9 facilities in all, CMS data only.

Among the 9 acute-care hospitals within 50 miles, Baptist Health-Fort Smith's overall star rating is 2★; the median among the 5 peers reporting it is 4★.

Measure This facility Nearby median Best nearby
Overall star rating reported by 5 of 8 nearby peers 2★ 4★ 4★
Mortality reported by 8 of 8 nearby peers Same as National Average Same as National Average Same as National Average
Safety of Care reported by 3 of 8 nearby peers Same as National Average Same as National Average Same as National Average
Readmissions reported by 3 of 8 nearby peers Same as National Average Same as National Average Same as National Average

The comparison group

Cohort: within 50 miles · CMS data period 2026-06 · method cohort-v1 · comparisons are never affected by claiming or payment. How nearby comparisons work

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Skilled nursing facilities nearby

For planning care after discharge — CMS five-star ratings shown; always confirm availability and coverage with the facility and your insurer.

About this data

Quality and ratings data are sourced from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. Star ratings are CMS's own calculation; CareRanks does not modify or re-weight them. Facility-level details (address, beds, ownership, teaching status) come from CMS provider files and the CMS Provider of Services file.

Pricing data, where shown, is drawn from the hospital's own Machine-Readable File (MRF) published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. See our methodology for the full update cadence and limitations.

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