Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center receives top marks in 2026 CMS report
PRESS RELEASE
May 19, 2026
Wilkes-Barre, PA - The Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center announced today that it received 5-star rating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating report. This is the second year in a row that the medical center has received this designation.
CMS’ Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings are based on five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. A higher star rating, out of five, indicates better performance along these quality measures.
“Receiving a 5-star rating from CMS is a reflection of the dedication our entire team brings to caring for Veterans every day,” said Russell Lloyd, director of the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center. “This rating underscores our commitment to delivering safe, timely and high-quality care, and we are proud to contribute to VA’s continued nationwide excellence.”
Nationwide, 78% of VA hospitals that received a rating https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-hospitals-earn-record-high-quality-ratings-in-2026-cms-report/ received an Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating of four or five stars in 2026.
This is the fourth consecutive year that VA has outperformed non-VA care, and the second year in a row that no VA hospital received a one-star rating. The percentage of VA hospitals receiving four or five stars has grown dramatically in the last two years:
- 2023, 67%
- 2024, 58%
- 2025, 77%
- 2026, 78%
View the star ratings for each facility and methodology for the ratings.
For more information, please contact John Baloga at Joh.Baloga@va.gov or
This year’s CMS report is just one example of how VA is working better for Veterans. Among other improvements, VA has:
- Enrolled more than 125,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026.
- Opened 35 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
- Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 70% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the prior administration.
- Completed 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY2025, up 4.1% from FY2024.
- Offered Veterans more than 2.5 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
- Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY2025, the highest total in seven years.
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Media contacts
John Baloga, Public Affairs Specialist/Outreach Coordinator
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