UPMC Altoona
An acute care hospital in Altoona, Pennsylvania 16601
620 Howard Avenue, Altoona, Pennsylvania 16601. (814) 889-2011.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 20, 2026.
- 3of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 2of 5 patient survey rating
- 2 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- 398 beds
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean3
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
The last inspection on record was on Aug 29, 2024: a complaint inspection.
2 deficiencies cited in the last three years.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those deficiencies happened
2 deficiencies in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Jul 2024. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Jul 29, 2024: complaint inspection2 deficiencies
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Patient Rights: Notice Of Rights
The inspectors’ words, 556 words
“PATIENT RIGHTS: NOTICE OF RIGHTS CFR(s): 482.13(a)(1) A hospital must inform each patient, or when appropriate, the patient’s representative (as allowed under State law), of the patient’s rights, in advance of furnishing or discontinuing patient care whenever possible. This Standard is not met as evidenced by: 38058 Based on a review of facility documents, medical record review (MR), and staff interview (EMP), it was determined that the facility failed to provide the Important Message from Medicare (IMM) on admission for one of 30 medical records reviewed (MR11); and failed to provide the IMM on discharge for three of 30 medical records reviewed (MR10, MR12, and MR30). Findings include: Review of “UPMC Policy and Procedure Manual Policy HS-QM0884* Index Title: Corporate Care Management Subject: Medicare Hospital Issued Notices of Financial Liability and Discharge Appeal Date: December 20, 2023 revealed “ ... V. Procedure ... C. Important Message from Medicare (IMM) 1. All Medicare/Medicare Advantage plan enrollees who are hospital inpatients must receive the IMM. 2. The IMM informs hospitalized inpatient beneficiaries/representatives of their rights as a hospital patient, including discharge appeal rights. 3. The IMM must be delivered within 2 calendar days of admission, must obtain the signature of the beneficiary or his/her representative, and a copy must be provided to the beneficiary/representative. Hospitals will also deliver a copy of the signed notice as far in advance of discharge as possible, but not more than 2 calendar days before discharge. ... .” Review of MR10 revealed that the patient was admitted on May 26, 2024 and discharged on June 1, 2024. There was no evidence of a discharge IMM. Review of MR11 revealed that the patient was admitted on May 23, 2024 and discharged on June 3, 2024. There was no evidence of an admission IMM. Review of MR12 revealed that the patient was admitted on June 21, 2024 and discharged on June 27, 2024. There was no evidence of a discharge IMM. Review of MR30 revealed that the patient was admitted on June 27, 2024 and discharged on June 30, 2024. There was no evidence of a discharge IMM. Interview on July 16, 2024, at approximately 12:00 PM, EMP2 confirmed the above findings. Based on a review of facility documentation, medical record (MR) review, and staff interview (EMP), it was determined the facility failed to ensure patients were informed of their rights prior to receiving care for four of 30 medical records reviewed (MR9, MR10, MR11, and MR17). Findings include: Review of “UPMC Policy And Procedure Manual Policy: HS-HD-PR-01* Index Title: Patient Rights/Organizational Ethics Subject: Patients’ Notice and Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Date: May 29, 2024, revealed “ ... III. Purpose The Patients’ Notice and Bill of Rights and Patient Responsibilities is made available to patients, their family members* and representatives via patient information materials and postings. ... The following sections of this policy present the information that is provided to patients, family members and their representatives to assure that they are informed of their rights while receiving services at UPMC. ... IV. Patients’ Notice And Bill Of Rights ... Attachment A. ... .” Review of MR9, MR10, MR11, and MR17 revealed no documented evidence that the patients or their representatives were given the admission packet, which contained the patient rights. Interview on July 16, 2024, at approximately 12:00 PM, EMP2 confirmed the above findings.”
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Patient Rights: Restraint Or Seclusion
The inspectors’ words, 246 words
“PATIENT RIGHTS: RESTRAINT OR SECLUSION CFR(s): 482.13(e)(5) §§482.13(e)(5) - The use of restraint or seclusion must be in accordance with the order of a physician or other licensed practitioner who is responsible for the care of the patient and authorized to order restraint or seclusion by hospital policy in accordance with State law. This Standard is not met as evidenced by: 38058 Based on a review of facility documents, medical record (MR), and staff interview (EMP), it was determined that UPMC Altoona failed to obtain a Physician Order for the implementation of restraint or seclusion in 1 of 2 medical records reviewed (MR1). Findings UPMC POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL POLICY: HS-NA0416 INDEX TITLE: Nursing SUBJECT: Restraint and Seclusion DATE: July 10, 2023 ... B. General Guidelines: A physician or a registered nurse (RN) may implement the use of restraint or seclusion in emergent situations based on clinical judgment and evaluation of the present situation. ... A written time limited order from a physician and documentation of the reason must accompany all episodes of restraint or seclusion. ... “ A review of MR1 revealed no documented evidence of a Physician Order for restraints or seclusion. An interview was conducted with EMP2 on July 16, 2024 at approximately 12:00 PM. EMP2 confirmed that the patient was placed in four point hard/vinyl restraints and in seclusion on February 8, 2024 at 1121 and that there was no physican order for the restraints or seclusion documented in the medical record.”
All 2 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2024 | Complaint inspection | No deficiencies cited |
| Jul 29, 2024 | Complaint inspection | 2 deficiencies cited |
How do patients fare?
- CMS’s overall CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System. for it is 3 of 5.
- Of the measures behind its CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System., CMS counts against the national value: mortality, 0 better and 1 worse of 8; safety of care, 3 better and 0 worse of 7; readmission, 1 better and 1 worse of 11.
- Patients rate it 2 of 5 in CMS’s patient survey (518 surveys completed, Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): 57% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 48% would definitely recommend it.
- Infections, compared by CMS with the national benchmark (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI), no different than national benchmark; catheter urinary tract infections (CAUTI), no different than national benchmark; surgical site infections after colon surgery, no different than national benchmark; MRSA bloodstream infections, no different than national benchmark; C. diff infections, better than the national benchmark.
- CMS’s patient safety composite for serious complications, PSI 90, Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2024: no different than the national value.
- Deaths within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 13.2%, heart failure 10.5%, pneumonia 16.9%, COPD 8.3%, stroke 10.9%, heart bypass surgery 2.1%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- Readmissions within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 13.3%, heart failure 21.7%, pneumonia 18.6%, COPD 19.6%, heart bypass surgery 11.7%, hip or knee replacement 6.4%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- After outpatient care, compared by CMS: unplanned hospital visits after a colonoscopy, no different than the national rate; hospital admissions after outpatient chemotherapy, no different than the national rate; emergency visits after outpatient chemotherapy, no different than the national rate; unplanned hospital visits after outpatient surgery, no different than expected.
- Emergency department patients spent a median of 210 minutes there before leaving (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025), and 1% left before being seen.
- 52% of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock got the care CMS measures, SEP-1 (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025).
- Medicare’s spending per patient here is 1.12 times the national median (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024).
CMS, Hospital General Information, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Complications and Deaths - Hospital and Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital. Released Sep 30, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall ratingCMS’s overall hospital quality star rating, 1 to 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Patient survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of the hospital’s patients (HCAHPS), 1 to 5 | 2 of 5 |
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Medicare-certified acute care hospital since Jul 1, 1966.
- Ownership: voluntary non-profit - private.
- It is accredited by The Joint Commission, whose surveys stand in for the state’s routine inspections.
- No For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. deficiency on record in the last three years.
- Voluntary non-profit - Private.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been penalized?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals.
- Not among the hospitals whose Medicare payments CMS cut under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program for fiscal year 2026.
- 2 deficiencies cited in the last three years came from inspections that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated yearly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
What do patients say about their care?
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In CMS’s patient survey, patients rate how well its nurses communicated 3 of 5.
- 88% of its health care workers got a flu shot (Oct 1, 2024 to Mar 31, 2025).
CMS, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital and Timely and Effective Care - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who owns it?
- UPMC owns 100% directly since Jul 1, 2013.
- 20 owners or officers are people: Brian Grabill (corporate director, 0%); Philip L Freeman (corporate director, 0%); Donald M Yealy (corporate director, 0%); Matthew Evans Newlin (corporate director, 0%); Mathew Stuckey (corporate director, 0%); Robert Montler (corporate director); Michael Corso (managing employee (on the payroll), 0%); Bernard L Creppage (corporate officer, 0%); Bernard L Creppage (corporate director, 0%); Monica Klatt (corporate officer, 0%); Monica Klatt (managing employee (on the payroll), 0%); Alissa Laird (corporate officer, 0%); David P Gibbons (corporate director, 0%); Andrew Ritchie (corporate director, 0%); David G Baer (corporate director, 0%); John Blackburn (corporate director, 0%); James Hogg Vreeland (corporate director, 0%); Ann Benzel (corporate director, 0%); Karen Pfeffer (corporate director, 0%); James Drenning (corporate director, 0%).
- CMS’s Provider of Services file records 2 changes of ownership.
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, Hospital All Owners and Hospital Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Organisation | Role | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Jul 1, 2013 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 4 hospitals CMS lists in Blair County, 3 have an overall star rating from CMS: 2 rated 5 of 5, 1 rated 3 of 5.
- CMS rates this one 3 of 5.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Place | Overall star rating |
|---|---|
| James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center (Altoona) | 5 |
| Conemaugh Nason Medical Center | 5 |
| Penn Highlands Tyrone | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals, so none are shown. The one payment cut CMS publishes for each hospital, under its Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, is shown where it applies.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- Most hospitals are accredited by a private organisation (The Joint Commission, DNV and others) whose routine inspections stand in for the state’s; those reports aren’t public, and QCOR holds only the state’s surveys: no inspection on record here doesn’t mean none took place.
- QCOR says its hospital inspection data are complete only through September 17, 2026, while it moves to a new system.
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In its September 2026 release CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for death and readmission rates, though it gives the rates.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information (xubh-q36u).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital.
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital (77hc-ibv8).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Complications and Deaths - Hospital (ynj2-r877).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital (632h-zaca).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital (yv7e-xc69).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital (rrqw-56er).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program (yq43-i98g).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated yearly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities (Hospital_and_other.DATA.Q3_2026.csv).
Released Oct 14, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies (Hospital_2567s_2010_to_2026YTD.xlsx).
Released Oct 20, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital All Owners (Hospital_All_Owners_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital Enrollments (Hospital_Enrollments_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the hospital
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospital adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospital will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospital”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.