5-Star Health Care
Veterans deserve 5-Star health care and they can get it at the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System according to recent independent reviews.
ASHEVILLE, NC -- The Western North Carolina VA Health Care System is rated five stars for both overall quality and for the patient survey on CMS – Centers for Medicare Services (https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/). It is one of only two health systems in the state with that dual 5-Star rating. The other is The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc., in Nags Head, North Carolina.
The CMS website offers a tool that compares hospitals systems nationwide and uses a five-star scale to rate them. The score is based on how well a hospital performs across different areas of quality, such as treating heart attacks and pneumonia, readmission rates and safety of care. The patient survey rating measures patients' experiences of their hospital care.
Part of the Health Care System, Charles George VA Medical Center’s Community Living Center, (CLC), in Asheville was also rated by the website. It has been rated five stars for 17 consecutive quarters.
“Veterans and their families can use this information to choose and compare facilities for their loved ones,” Stephanie Young, Western North Carolina VA Health Care System Executive Director said. “The survey star rating is based on the last three years of onsite surveys, with the greatest weight given to the most recent survey.
“Star ratings are assigned based on how the CLC scores compare with Medicare nursing homes in the same state,” she added.
The Health Care System received the 2023 Excellence in Patient Experience, Overall Best Experience Award, which highlighted the medical center’s excellence in customer service. It previously won this award in 2018 as well.
Not only are the patients happy with the services but the employees happy to be there too. It was ranked No. 1 “Best Place to Work” in 2023.
On the nursing front, Asheville was awarded the prestigious Pathway to Excellence® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2018 and earned a redesignation in 2022. CGVAMC joins more than 200 healthcare organizations worldwide to have this distinction.
“It’s an exciting time because our re-designation as a Pathway to Excellence organization affirms the Nursing culture and the interdisciplinary culture that all of our nurses have created,” David Przestrzelski, WNCVAHCS Chief Nurse Executive, said. This designation recognizes healthcare organization’s commitment to creating a positive practice environment that empowers and engages staff.
What to Know: Veterans interested in trying out the quality of the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System for themselves can enroll by calling Enrollment and Eligibility at 828-299-2509.
Recent legislation known as the PACT Act was passed making it possible for many more Veterans to qualify for VA Health Care.
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