Hospital Profile

Forrest General Hospital

Q: What does a 2-star rating mean for Forrest General Hospital?

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

Q: Does Forrest General Hospital have an emergency room?

Yes, it operates an emergency department.

Q: Does Forrest General Hospital accept Medicare?

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

6051 Us Highway 49
Hattiesburg, MS 39401

★★☆☆☆

2/5 CMS Overall Rating

537

Licensed Beds

Acute Care

Hospital Type

478

Affiliated Doctors

Comprehensive

Critical Care

1.6:1

Nurse-to-Bed Ratio

Quick Actions

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

(601) 288-7000

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

Forrest General Hospital is a 2.00-star acute care hospital located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with 537 licensed beds. As a locally-operated public hospital, it often serves as the community's primary healthcare safety net.

Its 2-star CMS rating is below the national average, which may indicate opportunities for improvement across quality domains. 478 physicians are affiliated with this facility, and it provides emergency services. Its critical care footprint covers 6 of 8 unit types (Comprehensive) with a 1.6:1 nurse-to-bed ratio.

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

Quality Ratings & Measures

CMS evaluates hospitals across five quality domains. Here's how Forrest General Hospital compares:

⭐

Overall Rating

of 5 stars

💔

Worse than National

Mortality

0 of 7 better

🛡️

Better than National

Safety

3 of 8 better

🔄

Worse than National

Readmission

0 of 11 better

😊

All 8 domains reported

Patient Experience

8 measures

💰

1.0000

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	61%	N/A
Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were "Sometimes" or "Never" clean	17%	N/A
Patients who reported that their room and bathroom were "Usually" clean	22%	N/A
Cleanliness - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Cleanliness - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★☆☆☆ (2)
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" communicated well	82%	N/A
Nurse communication - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated well	3%	N/A
Nurse communication - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★☆ (4)
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" communicated well	15%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" communicated well	83%	N/A
Doctor communication - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated well	4%	N/A
Doctor communication - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★☆ (4)
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" communicated well	13%	N/A
Patients who reported that staff "Always" explained about medicines before giving it to them	63%	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	20%	N/A
Communication about medicines - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★☆☆ (3)
Patients who reported that staff "Usually" explained about medicines before giving it to them	17%	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	15%	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	85%	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	79%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" explained things in a way they could understand	5%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" explained things in a way they could understand	16%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" listened carefully to them	81%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" listened carefully to them	4%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" listened carefully to them	15%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Always" treated them with courtesy and respect	88%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Sometimes" or "Never" treated them with courtesy and respect	3%	N/A
Patients who reported that their doctors "Usually" treated them with courtesy and respect	9%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 6 or lower on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	7%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 7 or 8 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	19%	N/A
Patients who gave their hospital a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)	74%	N/A
Overall hospital rating - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Overall hospital rating - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★☆ (4)
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Always" communicated what the medication was for	77%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Sometimes" or "Never" communicated what the medication was for	9%	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	79%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" explained things in a way they could understand	4%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" explained things in a way they could understand	17%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" listened carefully to them	79%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" listened carefully to them	4%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" listened carefully to them	17%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Always" treated them with courtesy and respect	88%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Sometimes" or "Never" treated them with courtesy and respect	2%	N/A
Patients who reported that their nurses "Usually" treated them with courtesy and respect	10%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Always" quiet at night	66%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Sometimes" or "Never" quiet at night	6%	N/A
Patients who reported that the area around their room was "Usually" quiet at night	28%	N/A
Quietness - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Quietness - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★☆ (4)
Patients who reported NO, they would probably not or definitely not recommend the hospital	3%	N/A
Patients who reported YES, they would definitely recommend the hospital	76%	N/A
Recommend hospital - linear mean score	Not Applicable%	N/A
Patients who reported YES, they would probably recommend the hospital	21%	N/A
Recommend hospital - star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★★ (5)
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Always" discussed possible side effects	49%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Sometimes" or "Never" discussed possible side effects	30%	N/A
Patients who reported that when receiving new medication the staff "Usually" discussed possible side effects	21%	N/A
Summary star rating	Not Applicable%	★★★★☆ (4)
Patients who reported that NO, they did not receive written information about possible symptoms to look out for after discharge	15%	N/A
Patients who reported that YES, they did receive written information about possible symptoms to look out for after discharge	85%	N/A

Survey response rate: 16% (1872 surveys completed). Data from 04/01/2024 to 03/31/2025 .

Services & Specialties

Forrest General Hospital offers the following services based on CMS Provider of Services data:

Emergency & Critical Care

Forrest General Hospital offers 6 of 8 possible critical care capabilities, classified as Comprehensive. Comprehensive critical care hospitals (6+ unit types) are typically equipped to handle the widest range of emergencies, from cardiac events and severe burns to pediatric and neonatal crises — a key factor in plan selection for families or those with complex health needs.

🚨 Emergency Department

🔬 Surgical ICU

❤️ Coronary Care Unit (CCU)

🆘 Shock-Trauma

👶 Pediatric ICU

🍼 Neonatal ICU (NICU)

Surgical Services

🏥 Inpatient Surgery

🏢 Outpatient Surgery

❤️ Open-Heart Surgery

🧠 Neurosurgery

💓 Cardiac Catheterization Lab

✨ Reconstructive Surgery

Specialty Services

🤰 Obstetrics (OB)

👶 Neonatal Nursery

🧒 Pediatric Services

🧠 Psychiatric Services

🩺 Substance Abuse Treatment

💉 Chemotherapy

🌬️ 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

Forrest General Hospital has 537 licensed beds (537 Medicare-certified) with a nurse-to-bed ratio of 1.6:1. 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	537
CMS Certified Beds	537
Psychiatric Unit Beds	46

Staffing snapshot: 478 affiliated physicians • 848 registered nurses • 25 operating rooms

Doctors Affiliated with Forrest General Hospital

478 physicians are affiliated with Forrest General Hospital, including 95 surgeons. Doctor affiliations are sourced from CMS Physician Compare data and indicate physicians who have a formal relationship with this hospital.

478

Total Doctors

115

Procedural Specialists

Surgeons