995 9th Avenue Southwest, Bessemer, AL 35022 · (205) 481-7000
General hospitalGovernment - Hospital District or AuthorityEmergency room
Medical West, An Affiliate of Uab Health System is a government-owned general hospital in Bessemer, Alabama (Jefferson County), with 168 beds. It has an emergency room and holds 3 of 5 stars in CMS's overall quality rating. In CMS's patient survey it scores 3 of 5 stars, and 71% of patients said they would definitely recommend it. Medicare patients had 461 stays here in 2024, most often for sepsis, pneumonia and heart failure. It lists $4.78 for every $1 its care costs, close to the typical Alabama hospital ($4.41).
$4.78listed for every $1 its care costs Alabama typical $4.41
2 h 27 mintypical ER visit US typical 2 h 28 min
461Medicare stays in 2024
168beds
Quality and patient experience
What patients say
★★★★★3 of 5 · 919 surveys
71%would definitely recommend the hospital US typical 71%
73%rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10 US typical 72%
Rated by patients
Nurses communicated well★★★★★
Doctors communicated well★★★★★
Staff explained medicines★★★★★
Information for going home★★★★★
Room was clean★★★★★
Quiet at night★★★★★
Emergency room and urgent care
2 h 27 mintypical time in the ER before going home US typical 2 h 28 min
2%left the ER without being seen US typical 1%
48%of sepsis patients got the recommended care US typical 65%
ER volume: medium.
Deaths within 30 days of admission lower is better
Heart failure
12.2%
Pneumonia
13.7%
Stroke
14.6%
COPD
9.1%
Back in the hospital within 30 days lower is better
Heart attack
14.0%
Heart failure
21.3%
Pneumonia
16.8%
Hip or knee replacement
6.1%
Infections and complications lower is better
Central-line bloodstream infections
0.49
≈ Same as US
Catheter urinary tract infections
0.66
≈ Same as US
Infections after colon surgery
1.42
≈ Same as US
MRSA blood infections
0.38
≈ Same as US
C. diff intestinal infections
0.41
✓ Better than US
Complications after hip or knee replacement
4.8%
Serious complications (CMS safety index)
1.16
≈ Same as US
US typical hospital. Infection figures are a ratio: 1.00 means as many infections as expected for a hospital like this one. CMS adjusts these rates for how sick the patients are; a small gap from the typical hospital can be chance, so a verdict is shown only where CMS gives one.
Source: CMS Care Compare, measurement periods ending up to September 2025.
The money
$21what care cost the hospital for every $100 it billed
−$4.2Mnet income, all sources
−15.3%margin on patient care alone
$8.2Mcost of charity care (6.2% of costs)
$21.2Munpaid bills written off (bad debt)
979full-time staff (equivalent)
From the hospital's Medicare cost report for the year ending September 2024.
Hospital stays
Medicare figures are 2024 averages for this hospital; the bars show how much of the bill was actually paid.
Cash and insurer prices for this hospital haven't been added yet. Every US hospital must publish them; search the hospital's website for "price transparency" or "standard charges".