CMS certification 05031F
Palo Alto VA Medical Center
3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Palo Alto VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 84% 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 1 and worse on 1.
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: 524 completed surveys, 34% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How Palo Alto 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto VA Medical CenterThis hospital | 5/5 | 84% | — | 1 better 1 worse |
| Stanford Health CareSame county · Stanford | 5/5 | 83% | 4 h 36 min | 10 better 4 worse |
| El Camino HealthSame county · Mountain View | 4/5 | 80% | 2 h 43 min | 7 better 1 worse |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Santa ClaraSame county · Santa Clara | 2/5 | 75% | — | 2 better 1 worse |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San JoseSame county · San Jose | 3/5 | 66% | — | 1 better |
| Good Samaritan HospitalSame county · San Jose | 2/5 | 67% | 2 h 19 min | 1 better 5 worse |
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 Palo Alto.
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 1,694 cases | Too few cases | 3.4% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 84 cases | Too few cases | 10.7% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 350 cases | Too few cases | 8.5% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 231 cases | Too few cases | 11.6% | 15.2% |
| COPD 148 cases | Too few cases | 7.9% | 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 | 0.95 likely 0.68 – 1.22 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 82 cases | No different | 145.26 per 1,000 likely 91.76 per 1,000 – 198.75 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 4,855 cases | No different | 1.09 per 1,000 likely 0.47 per 1,000 – 1.71 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,284 cases | No different | 0.21 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.41 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 6,857 cases | No different | 0.4 per 1,000 likely 0.2 per 1,000 – 0.59 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,687 cases | No different | 2.68 per 1,000 likely 1.37 per 1,000 – 3.99 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,045 cases | No different | 1.11 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.52 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 1,005 cases | Better | 4.37 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 9.34 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,797 cases | No different | 2.7 per 1,000 likely 0.66 per 1,000 – 4.74 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 1,020 cases | No different | 5.05 per 1,000 likely 2.19 per 1,000 – 7.91 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 351 cases | No different | 1.63 per 1,000 likely 0.16 per 1,000 – 3.1 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,012 cases | No different | 0.84 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.82 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 | 0.5 likely 0.09 – 1.67 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 1.14 likely 0.42 – 2.53 | 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 62 cases | Too few cases | 13.6% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 293 cases | Too few cases | 20.8% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 202 cases | Too few cases | 18.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 119 cases | Too few cases | 20.1% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 25 cases | Too few cases | 5.7% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 93 cases | Too few cases | -3.2 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 446 cases | Too few cases | -1.1 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 281 cases | Too few cases | 41.9 days per 100 | — |
6 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,105 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 29 residents and trainees. 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 |
|---|---|
| Clinical | 140 |
| Pharmacist | 127 |
| Registered Nurse | 96 |
| Occupational Therapist | 38 |
| Internal Medicine | 36 |
| Physical Therapist | 33 |
| Optometrist | 25 |
| Social Worker | 24 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | 23 |
| Family | 22 |
| Foot & Ankle Surgery | 19 |
| Anesthesiology | 17 |
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 Palo Alto VA Medical Center
Is Palo Alto VA Medical Center a good hospital?
Palo Alto VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 15 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Palo Alto VA Medical Center?
84% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 524 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Palo Alto VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Palo Alto VA Medical Center.