VA Hospitals Outshine Private Facilities in CMS Star Ratings

The latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital ranking results are in, and the story is clear: Veterans are far more likely to receive care at a top-rated hospital. More than 90% of VA hospitals maintained or improved their 2024 star rating. 

The data clearly shows that VA hospitals are leading the way in quality: 

• More than three-fourths of VA hospitals (77%) received 4- or 5-star overall ratings. 
• Nearly 49% of VA hospitals earned a coveted 5-star rating.  

Across the nation, only 36.8% of hospitals received 4 or 5 stars, and just 8.5% achieved the 5-star mark. That means: 

• A Veteran going to a VA hospital is 5–6 times more likely to be treated at a 5-star facility compared to the national average. 
• VA hospitals are performing at more than double the national average when it comes to top ratings. 

VA facilities make up 19% of all 5-star hospitals while representing only 3.9% of reviewed hospitals in the file. The median ranking for a VA medical center was 4-star, while the median for private centers was 3-star. Veterans aren’t simply receiving quality care today; on average, they are getting the best care in the country.  

CMS star ratings 

CMS created star ratings to enable patients and their families to compare hospital quality easily. The ratings assess five 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 five), the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures. 

For Veterans, these ratings are more than numbers. They represent safe, consistent, and reliable care. For federal leaders, they demonstrate how VA is driving measurable results in quality and satisfaction across the country’s largest integrated health system. 

“These ratings highlight the excellent care VA hospitals provide,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Our job is to continue raising the bar for customer service and convenience throughout the department, so VA works better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we are charged with serving.” 

These results show what’s possible when an entire health system commits to excellence. VA hospitals are delivering quality at scale for a diverse and complex patient population, proving that Veterans can trust their care teams to provide the best. 

Many of the VA hospitals receiving 5-star ratings utilize multiple DSS, Inc. solutions. Nine enterprise products support every VA Medical Center. Seattle, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio VA Medical Centers are a sampling of the 5-star-rated VA facilities that use the additional DSS products CTM Plus, PeriOp Manager, TheraDoc, and CyberREN for superior Veteran care delivery.  

“We are proud to support VA’s mission with secure, interoperable technology that helps clinical teams deliver for Veterans every day,” said David Whitmer, FACHE, vice president of product operations - federal at DSS, Inc. “These outstanding CMS results reflect the commitment to quality and reliability from thousands of VHA caregivers each and every day.” 

Veterans deserve the best care this nation can provide—and these CMS results show they are receiving it. As VA continues to raise the bar, DSS, Inc. is committed to helping sustain this momentum with the right tools and technology to support those who served.