CMS certification 16004F
Iowa City VA Medical Center
601 Highway 6 West, Iowa City, IA 52246
Iowa City VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 80% 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: 561 completed surveys, 43% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How Iowa City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City VA Medical CenterThis hospital | 5/5 | 80% | — | 2 better |
| University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center DownSame city | 4/5 | 69% | 2 h 29 min | 2 better 3 worse |
| University of Iowa Hospital & ClinicsSame city | 2/5 | 74% | 3 h 30 min | 5 better 4 worse |
| Jones Regional Medical CenterSame ZIP area · Anamosa | 4/5 | 82% | 1 h 56 min | 1 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 Iowa City.
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 1,149 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 68 cases | Too few cases | 11.1% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 302 cases | Too few cases | 8.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 132 cases | Too few cases | 12.3% | 15.2% |
| COPD 110 cases | Too few cases | 8.1% | 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 | 0.85 likely 0.5 – 1.19 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 179 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 26 cases | No different | 175.45 per 1,000 likely 110.53 per 1,000 – 240.37 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 2,943 cases | No different | 0.22 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.02 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 4,299 cases | No different | 0.29 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.51 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 4,526 cases | No different | 0.28 per 1,000 likely 0.07 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,234 cases | No different | 2.56 per 1,000 likely 1.11 per 1,000 – 4 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 948 cases | No different | 1.4 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.99 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 925 cases | No different | 8.66 per 1,000 likely 1.62 per 1,000 – 15.69 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,260 cases | No different | 4.25 per 1,000 likely 2.05 per 1,000 – 6.46 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 927 cases | No different | 3.92 per 1,000 likely 0.46 per 1,000 – 7.38 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 315 cases | No different | 1.98 per 1,000 likely 0.5 per 1,000 – 3.47 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 828 cases | No different | 0.87 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.86 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 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.79 likely 0.13 – 2.62 | 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 59 cases | Too few cases | 15.1% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 228 cases | Too few cases | 20.5% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 104 cases | Too few cases | 16.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 83 cases | Too few cases | 21.7% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 173 cases | Too few cases | 4.5% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 83 cases | Too few cases | -4.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 349 cases | Too few cases | 0.6 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 151 cases | Too few cases | -35.8 days per 100 | — |
6 more measures had too few cases here to report.
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 Iowa City VA Medical Center
Is Iowa City VA Medical Center a good hospital?
Iowa City 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 2 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Iowa City VA Medical Center?
80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 561 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Iowa City VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Iowa City VA Medical Center.