C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center CMS Star Rating

The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center received a 1-star rating for this reporting period. This release involves historical performance on five categories, from July 2018 - March 2022. We are proud to report that we performed at a comparable level to our community peers in mortality, patient experience, safety of care, and timely and effective care.

The one area where we did not perform well was hospital readmissions. We own these results and are working hard to correct and ensure Veterans receive high quality hospital care.

We echo VA Secretary Denis McDonough’s belief that “Whenever a Veteran entrusts us with their care, they deserve to know they are getting the very best…we will never settle for anything less.”

Within our hospital and across all of Bay Pines VA Healthcare system, it’s about process improvement that remains centered on quality-of-care post-discharge and associated management of high-risk medical conditions.”

We have taken measures to improve across multiple process areas that influence the quality of services we deliver with priority focus on our hospital readmission metrics. The July 26, 2023, data for CMS Hospital readmission ratings was collected prior to June 2022. Over the past 12 months, hospital readmission processes have been actively worked for improvement. Specifically, you may ask what this means for you.

Our efforts have involved greater engagement with Veterans and families about care coordination and integrated case management; establishment of outpatient clinics for high-risk Veterans in need of support for congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and reworking admission procedures for substance abuse, and end of life care.

As we move forward, continuous process improvement remains essential to improving our quality measures. The CMS Star Ratings do not represent long-term care, mental health, or outpatient care services, and while we do not have an overall 5-star rating, we are currently a 3-star in the Medicare Patient Survey Scores. Additionally, our VA outpatient trust survey score among Veterans remains high at 92%, which is higher than VHA national average.

Nonetheless, no one at Bay Pines VA finds these results acceptable, and we are working hard to provide high quality healthcare to you. We have worked hard to earn your trust and confidence over the past 90 years, and we will continue with that same passion. It continues to be our honor to serve as your healthcare system of choice. You deserve the very best, and we remain committed to ensuring we meet that standard.