Hospital Profile

Cambridge Health Alliance

Q: What does a 4-star rating mean for Cambridge Health Alliance?

CMS rates hospitals 1-5 stars based on mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, and timely care.

Q: Does Cambridge Health Alliance have an emergency room?

Yes, it operates an emergency department.

Q: Does Cambridge Health Alliance accept Medicare?

Yes. All hospitals on Medicare Hospital Compare are Medicare-certified. Check your specific plan for in-network status.

1493 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

★★★★☆

4/5 CMS Overall Rating

159

Licensed Beds

Acute Care

Hospital Type

573

Affiliated Doctors

Limited

Critical Care

1.3:1

Nurse-to-Bed Ratio

Quick Actions

📞 Call Hospital 🗺️ Get Directions 🏛️ View on Medicare.gov 👨‍⚕️ Find Doctors

(617) 665-1000

Data Source: Hospital data from CMS Hospital Compare (February 2026) and Provider of Services file (Q4 2025). Doctor affiliations from CMS Physician Compare. Quality measures are updated quarterly.
Reviewed by: Wes Ward, Founder & Data Lead • View our methodology

Hospital Details

Cambridge Health Alliance is a 4.00-star acute care hospital located in Cambridge, Massachusetts with 159 licensed beds. As a locally-operated public hospital, it often serves as the community's primary healthcare safety net. As a major teaching hospital, it is affiliated with a medical school and typically offers the most advanced procedures and clinical trials.

A 4-star CMS rating places Cambridge Health Alliance above the national average for overall quality. 573 physicians are affiliated with this facility, and it provides emergency services. Its critical care footprint covers 2 of 8 unit types (Limited) with a 1.3:1 nurse-to-bed ratio.

Hospital Type	Acute Care Hospitals
Ownership	Government - Local
Teaching Status	Major Teaching Hospital

Quality Ratings & Measures

CMS evaluates hospitals across five quality domains. Here's how Cambridge Health Alliance compares:

⭐

Overall Rating

of 5 stars

💔

Same as National

Mortality

0 of 4 better

🛡️

Better than National

Safety

1 of 6 better

🔄

Worse than National

Readmission

0 of 9 better

😊

All 8 domains reported

Patient Experience

8 measures

💰

0.9900

Medicare Spending Index (MSPB)

Near National Avg

Quality data from CMS Hospital Compare. "Better than national" means statistically significantly better than the national average. Spending uses the CMS MSPB measure (Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary) index, where 1.000 is national average and values above/below 1.000 indicate higher/lower spending.

Patient Experience (HCAHPS Survey)

The HCAHPS survey is a standardized, national survey of hospital patients. It measures how patients perceive their care — including communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of staff, cleanliness, and discharge information. Higher percentages indicate better performance.

Measure	Score	Star Rating
Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were "Always" clean	70%	N/A
Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were "Sometimes" or "Never" clean	9%	N/A
Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were "Usually" clean	21%	N/A
Cleanliness - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Cleanliness - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" communicated well	73%	N/A
Nurse communication - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated well	7%	N/A
Nurse communication - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★☆☆☆ (2)
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" communicated well	20%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" communicated well	78%	N/A
Doctor communication - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated well	6%	N/A
Doctor communication - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" communicated well	16%	N/A
Patients who reported that staff "Always" explained about medicines before giving it to them	59%	N/A
Communication about medicines - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that staff "Sometimes" or "Never" explained about medicines before giving it to them	22%	N/A
Communication about medicines - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★☆☆☆ (2)
Patients who reported that staff "Usually" explained about medicines before giving it to them	19%	N/A
Discharge information - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that NO, they were not given information about what to do during their recovery at home	14%	N/A
Discharge information - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that YES, they were given information about what to do during their recovery at home	86%	N/A
Patients who reported that NO, they did not discuss whether they would need help after discharge	15%	N/A
Patients who reported that YES, they did discuss whether they would need help after discharge	85%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" explained things in a way they could understand	73%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" explained things in a way they could understand	7%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" explained things in a way they could understand	20%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" listened carefully to them	76%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" listened carefully to them	6%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" listened carefully to them	18%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" treated them with courtesy and respect	84%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" treated them with courtesy and respect	5%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" treated them with courtesy and respect	11%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 6 or lower on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	10%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 7 or 8 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	28%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	62%	N/A
Overall hospital rating - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Overall hospital rating - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Always" communicated what the medication was for	75%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated what the medication was for	11%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Usually" communicated what the medication was for.	14%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" explained things in a way they could understand	67%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" explained things in a way they could understand	8%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" explained things in a way they could understand	25%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" listened carefully to them	70%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" listened carefully to them	8%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" listened carefully to them	22%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" treated them with courtesy and respect	82%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" treated them with courtesy and respect	6%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" treated them with courtesy and respect	12%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Always" quiet at night	53%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Sometimes" or "Never" quiet at night	16%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Usually" quiet at night	31%	N/A
Quietness - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Quietness - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★☆☆☆ (2)
Patients who reported NO, they would probably not or definitely not recommend the hospital	8%	N/A
Patients who reported YES, they would definitely recommend the hospital	63%	N/A
Recommend hospital - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported YES, they would probably recommend the hospital	29%	N/A
Recommend hospital - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Always" discussed possible side effects	44%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Sometimes" or "Never" discussed possible side effects	33%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Usually" discussed possible side effects	23%	N/A
Summary star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that NO, they did not receive written information about possible symptoms to look out for after discharge	13%	N/A
Patients who reported that YES, they did receive written information about possible symptoms to look out for after discharge	87%	N/A

Survey response rate: 11% (439 surveys completed). Data from 04/01/2024 to 03/31/2025 .

Services & Specialties

Cambridge Health Alliance offers the following services based on CMS Provider of Services data:

Emergency & Critical Care

Cambridge Health Alliance offers 2 of 8 possible critical care capabilities, classified as Limited. Limited critical care (1–2 unit types) means this facility can stabilize patients but may need to transfer more serious cases. If you anticipate needing emergency or ICU services frequently, compare nearby alternatives in the nearby hospitals section.

🚨 Emergency Department

🏥 Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Surgical Services

🏥 Inpatient Surgery

🏢 Outpatient Surgery

Specialty Services

🤰 Obstetrics (OB)

👶 Neonatal Nursery

🧒 Pediatric Services

🧠 Psychiatric Services

🩺 Substance Abuse Treatment

🌬️ Respiratory Care

Service availability is self-reported by the facility. Confirm specific services directly with the hospital. Use our printable question list to prepare for the conversation.

Bed Count, Capacity & Staffing

Cambridge Health Alliance has 159 licensed beds (159 Medicare-certified) with a nurse-to-bed ratio of 1.3:1. Higher ratios generally indicate more nursing staff per patient, which research links to better outcomes in medication errors, patient falls, and response times.

Bed Type	Count
Total Licensed Beds	159
CMS Certified Beds	159
Psychiatric Unit Beds	62

Staffing snapshot: 573 affiliated physicians • 209 registered nurses

Doctors Affiliated with Cambridge Health Alliance

573 physicians are affiliated with Cambridge Health Alliance, including 54 surgeons. Doctor affiliations are sourced from CMS Physician Compare data and indicate physicians who have a formal relationship with this hospital.

573

Total Doctors

Procedural Specialists

Surgeons