VA highest rated hospital in metro for 2nd year, report
PRESS RELEASE
August 22, 2024
Des Moines , IA — The VA Central Iowa Medical Center in Des Moines received the highest ranking of any metro hospital, a 5 Star rating, and remains the highest-rated hospital in the Des Moines region according to a survey released by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The CMS uses 5 categories –safety of care, readmission, patient experience, mortality, and timely and effective care – to award a quality rating for each hospital. The more stars (out of 5), the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures.
“It is great to have CMS recognize the work we do,” said Central Iowa Medical Center Director Lisa Curnes. “Caring for Veterans is our primary focus. To be recognized for the hard work of our staff and caregivers is very rewarding.”
According to Medicare, the patient survey rating measures patients' experiences of their hospital care. Recently discharged patients were asked about important topics such as how well nurses and doctors communicated, how responsive hospital staff were to their needs, and the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment.
While VA Central Iowa remained a 5 Star facility, overall, there were 102 fewer hospitals nationwide that earned that ranking.
Nationally, 13% or 381 of the 2,847 U.S. hospitals scored in the latest federal analysis had the highest five-star rating, according to CMS.
The VA hospitals in Iowa City and Omaha, Nebraska also received 5 Star rankings.
Because the VA medical system treats almost exclusively Veterans, the facility does not routinely accept Medicare patients.
Dan Kuester, Public Affairs Officer
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