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What stands out
In the latest CMS data, 4 of the 6 Albuquerque hospitals with a reported rate had more pressure injuries (bedsores) after admission than the national rate. The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality treats most hospital pressure injuries as preventable with regular repositioning, skin checks and support surfaces, which is why CMS tracks them as a patient safety indicator.
These are hospital-wide rates. They do not show whether any one patient's care fell below the standard. That takes the patient's own records and a medical expert. What the data can show is where a type of harm happens more often than it does nationally.
Albuquerque hospitals at a glance
| Hospital | CMS overall rating | Safety measures: better / same / worse than national | Law that covers a claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovelace Medical Center | 2 of 5 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Medical Malpractice Act, if the hospital has qualified |
| Lovelace Westside Hospital | 4 of 5 | 1 / 1 / 0 | Medical Malpractice Act, if the hospital has qualified |
| Lovelace Women's Hospital | 4 of 5 | 1 / 4 / 0 | Medical Malpractice Act, if the hospital has qualified |
| Presbyterian Hospital | 2 of 5 | 1 / 5 / 2 | Medical Malpractice Act, if the hospital has qualified |
| UNM Hospital | 2 of 5 | 3 / 3 / 1 | NM Tort Claims Act (90-day notice) |
| VA New Mexico Healthcare System | 3 of 5 | 0 / 3 / 1 | Federal Tort Claims Act (2-year claim) |
The overall rating is CMS's 1 to 5 star summary. The safety column counts CMS's safety-of-care measures for that hospital. The last column matters most for deadlines: UNM Hospital is a public hospital, the VA is federal, and private hospitals fall under the Medical Malpractice Act. Central Desert Behavioral Health Hospital and Haven Behavioral Hospital Of Albuquerque are psychiatric hospitals with no CMS safety measures reported, so they are not shown.
Hospital infections
Each figure compares the infections a hospital reported with the number expected for its size and patients (the standardized infection ratio). Each cell is CMS's comparison with the national rate: better, no different or worse. CMS labels a hospital better or worse only when the difference is statistically clear. Period: October 2024 to September 2025.
| Measure | Lovelace Medical Center | Lovelace Westside Hospital | Lovelace Women's Hospital | Presbyterian Hospital | UNM Hospital | VA New Mexico Healthcare System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI) | No different | Not reported | No different | No different | No different | No different |
| Catheter urinary tract infections (CAUTI) | No different | Not reported | No different | No different | No different | No different |
| Surgical site infections, colon surgery | Better | Not reported | Not reported | No different | No different | Not reported |
| Surgical site infections, abdominal hysterectomy | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | No different | No different | Not reported |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | Not reported | No different | No different | No different | Not reported |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | No different | Better | Better | No different | Not reported |
Patient safety indicators
Patient safety indicators count serious complications that are often avoidable, such as pressure injuries, falls that break a hip, collapsed lungs from a procedure and blood clots after surgery. The first row is CMS's composite of all of them. Rows below are the indicators where at least one Albuquerque hospital differs from the national rate. Period: July 2022 to June 2024.
| Measure | Lovelace Medical Center | Lovelace Westside Hospital | Lovelace Women's Hospital | Presbyterian Hospital | UNM Hospital | VA New Mexico Healthcare System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMS Medicare PSI 90: Patient safety and adverse events composite | Worse | No different | No different | Worse | Worse | Worse |
| Pressure ulcer rate | Worse | No different | No different | Worse | Worse | Worse |
| Death rate among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications | Worse | Not reported | Not reported | No different | No different | No different |
| Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate | No different | No different | No different | No different | Worse | No different |
If you were hurt at one of these hospitals
- Request your records now. You have a right to them, and they are what an expert reviews.
- Check which law applies. A claim against UNM Hospital needs written notice within 90 days under the Tort Claims Act. A VA claim starts with a federal administrative claim within two years. Claims against qualified private hospitals must be filed within three years of the date of the error. See New Mexico malpractice deadlines.
- Infections and pressure injuries can be malpractice, or not. Some happen despite good care. The question is whether the hospital followed the precautions a careful hospital would. See how to prove medical malpractice.
Method and how to cite this page
We pull three CMS Care Compare datasets through the CMS Provider Data Catalog: Hospital General Information, Healthcare Associated Infections, and Complications and Deaths. We keep every hospital CMS lists in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties and report CMS's own better, no different or worse comparison without changing it. A script checks for new CMS data every week and rebuilds this page when the numbers change. Nothing here ranks or recommends any hospital or provider.
Cite this page: Albuquerque Medical Malpractice, "Albuquerque hospital safety data," using CMS Care Compare data updated September 10, 2026. albuquerquemedicalmalpractice.com/albuquerque-hospital-safety-data/
Frequently asked questions
Where does Albuquerque hospital safety data come from?
From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which publishes Care Compare data for every hospital that takes Medicare. Hospitals report infections to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, and CMS calculates the complication measures from billing records.
Does a worse-than-national rating mean the hospital committed malpractice?
No. It is a hospital-wide rate over a period of years. Whether a particular patient's care was negligent depends on that patient's records and expert review.
Is a hospital-acquired infection medical malpractice in New Mexico?
It can be, if the hospital failed to follow the infection-control steps a reasonably careful hospital would, and that failure caused the infection. Some infections happen even with good care.
Are bedsores in a hospital a sign of neglect?
Often they are preventable, which is why CMS tracks them. In the latest data, 4 of 6 Albuquerque hospitals with a reported rate were worse than the national rate on pressure injuries. A claim still depends on the patient's own care and records.
Sources
- CMS Provider Data Catalog: Hospital General Information
- CMS Provider Data Catalog: Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital
- CMS Provider Data Catalog: Complications and Deaths - Hospital
- Medicare Care Compare: find and compare hospitals
- AHRQ, Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals: a toolkit for improving quality of care