CMS certification 01014F
Birmingham VA Medical Center
700 South 19th Street, Birmingham, AL 35233
Birmingham VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 73% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 15 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on none.
Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.
What patients said
Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 850 completed surveys, 23% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How Birmingham VA Medical Center compares with nearby hospitals
The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | CMS stars | Would recommend | ER median time | Vs the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham VA Medical CenterThis hospital | 4/5 | 73% | — | 2 better |
| University of Alabama HospitalSame city | 2/5 | 78% | 3 h 31 min | 4 better 4 worse |
| St. Vincent's EastSame city | 3/5 | 69% | 2 h 38 min | 2 better 2 worse |
| Grandview Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 74% | 2 h 54 min | 5 better 5 worse |
| Princeton Baptist Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 62% | 2 h 44 min | 5 better 1 worse |
| Baptist Health Brookwood HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 57% | 2 h 38 min | 3 better |
Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict. All hospitals in Birmingham.
Deaths
How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| All patients, hospital-wide 1,606 cases | Too few cases | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 56 cases | Too few cases | 11.2% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 499 cases | Too few cases | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 273 cases | Too few cases | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| COPD 228 cases | Too few cases | 6.6% | 8.6% |
2 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Complications
How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | No different | 0.77 likely 0.46 – 1.08 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 48 cases | Too few cases | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 45 cases | No different | 157.82 per 1,000 likely 96.65 per 1,000 – 218.99 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 3,906 cases | No different | 0.16 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.84 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,779 cases | No different | 0.17 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.38 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 7,017 cases | No different | 0.25 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.45 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,409 cases | No different | 2.39 per 1,000 likely 0.99 per 1,000 – 3.78 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 727 cases | No different | 1.39 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.97 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 827 cases | No different | 5.74 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 11.98 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,387 cases | No different | 3.06 per 1,000 likely 0.89 per 1,000 – 5.23 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 795 cases | No different | 6.33 per 1,000 likely 3.02 per 1,000 – 9.63 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 229 cases | No different | 1.94 per 1,000 likely 0.47 per 1,000 – 3.41 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,107 cases | No different | 1.08 per 1,000 likely 0.1 per 1,000 – 2.05 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
Infections caught in the hospital
Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | No different | 0.42 likely 0.02 – 2.08 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.56 likely 0.09 – 1.84 | 1 |
4 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Readmissions and return visits
How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after a heart attack 40 cases | Too few cases | 15.3% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 453 cases | Too few cases | 21% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 185 cases | Too few cases | 18.1% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 194 cases | Too few cases | 20.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 38 cases | Too few cases | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 61 cases | Too few cases | 32.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 646 cases | Too few cases | -26.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 286 cases | Too few cases | 38.5 days per 100 | — |
6 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
523 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.
| Specialty | Clinicians |
|---|---|
| Pharmacist | 69 |
| Clinical | 66 |
| Social Worker | 41 |
| Registered Nurse | 37 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health | 30 |
| Family | 28 |
| Internal Medicine | 13 |
| Optometrist | 13 |
| Respiratory Therapist, Registered | 12 |
| Adult Health | 11 |
| Physical Therapist | 10 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 9 |
First 12 alphabetically
How to read this page
- Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
- “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
- Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
- Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
- These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.
CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error
Common questions about Birmingham VA Medical Center
Is Birmingham VA Medical Center a good hospital?
Birmingham VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 15 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 2 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Birmingham VA Medical Center?
73% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 850 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Birmingham VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Birmingham VA Medical Center.