Cincinnati VA Medical Center Receives 5-Star CMS Quality Rating

The CMS uses 5 categories – mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, 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.

“This rating is indicative of the hard work and dedication our staff displays in ensuring our nation’s Veterans receive the best care possible,” said Jane Johnson, Cincinnati VA Executive Medical Center Director. “Although we celebrate this rating, our job doesn’t end there. We will continue to put forth the effort needed to make advancements in all aspects of the VA Cincinnati Healthcare System as we strive to be Better Each Day  for our Veterans, their families, and caregivers.”

Overall, 67% of VA hospitals included in the CMS annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings received either 4 or 5 stars, compared to only 41% of non-VA hospitals. These findings are the latest in a series of recent evaluations showing the effectiveness of VA health care compared to non-VA health care. VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics in the recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Star Ratings, and a recent systematic review of more than 40 peer-reviewed studies found that VA health care is consistently as good as — or better than — non-VA health care.

“Our job at VA is to deliver the best possible care to every Veteran who walks through our doors,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “While we’re very proud of these findings, there is still work to do. We will study these results, learn from them, and continue to improve until we’re delivering world-class care to every Veteran, every time.”

For more information about services available to eligible Veterans or how to enroll in VA health care, visit the VA Cincinnati Healthcare System website.

Todd Sledge, Chief, Public Affairs Officer