Hospital Directory USA
Acute care hospital Emergency room

Watauga Medical Center in Boone, NC

Also known as Watauga County Hospital

In a medical emergency, call 911. This page is for information only.

Overview

About Watauga Medical Center

Watauga Medical Center is an acute care hospital in Boone, Watauga County, North Carolina. It reports its ownership to Medicare as public (local government). It provides emergency services. Its CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating is 3 out of 5. It has 117 licensed beds, according to state license data via HIFLD. It meets the CMS Birthing-Friendly designation criteria for maternity care. The nearest other listed hospital is Appalachian Regional Behavioral Healthcare, about 15 mi away.

CMS Care Compare

Quality ratings

3
Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, out of 5

How this hospital compares with the national rate on each measure group:

Mortality
7 no different
Deaths within 30 days for conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and stroke.
Safety of care
1 better · 5 no different
Infections and complications acquired in the hospital.
Readmission
9 no different · 1 worse
Unplanned returns to the hospital after discharge.

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information. How star ratings work.

Emergency department

Emergency room times

192 min
Median time in the ER before leaving (OP-18b)
1.0%
Left before being seen (OP-22)
medium
Emergency department volume

Lower times are better. Reporting period ending September 2025. Source: CMS Timely and Effective Care. What these numbers mean.

Safety of care

Infections and sepsis care

  • MRSA bloodstream infectionsNo different · SIR 0.00
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)No different · SIR 0.00
  • Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infectionsBetter than national · SIR 0.29
  • Central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI)No different · SIR 0.00

44% of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock received all the recommended early care steps (SEP-1). Higher is better.

SIR is the standardized infection ratio: below 1 means fewer infections than predicted for a hospital like this one. Period ending September 2025. Source: CMS Healthcare-Associated Infections and Timely and Effective Care.

HCAHPS survey

What patients say

  • Patient survey star rating
  • Would definitely recommend77%
  • Rated the hospital 9 or 1077%
  • Completed surveys597

Survey period ending September 2025. Source: CMS HCAHPS Patient Survey.

Map

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36.19682, -81.65249

Within 25 miles

Nearby hospitals

Frequently asked questions

Where is Watauga Medical Center located?

Watauga Medical Center is at 336 Deerfield Road, Boone, NC 28607 in Watauga County.

Does Watauga Medical Center have an emergency room?

Yes. Watauga Medical Center reports emergency services to Medicare, and patients spent a median of 192 minutes in its emergency department before leaving. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

What is the CMS star rating of Watauga Medical Center?

Watauga Medical Center has a CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating of 3 out of 5. The rating combines measures of mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care, compared with hospitals nationwide.

Is Watauga Medical Center a trauma center?

We have no trauma center designation on record for Watauga Medical Center. Hospitals without one still treat injuries in their emergency department and transfer patients who need a trauma center. Check the North Carolina trauma program for the current list.

What is the phone number of Watauga Medical Center?

The main phone number on record with Medicare is (828) 262-4100.

Would patients recommend Watauga Medical Center?

In the most recent HCAHPS patient survey (597 completed surveys), 77% of patients said they would definitely recommend the hospital, and 77% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10.