USCareCheck

CMS certification 21020F

VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore

10 North Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Acute Care - Veterans Administration Emergency services

VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 56% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 14 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 3.

Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.

CMS overall rating 2/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 56% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 2/5 476 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 3 worse 1 better of 14 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 476 completed surveys, 24% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
56%
MD 66% · US 71% · 2 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
60%
MD 66% · US 72% · 2 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
73%
MD 75% · US 80% · 2 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
77%
MD 77% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
60%
MD 57% · US 62% · 2 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
84%
MD 86% · US 86% · 3 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
62%
MD 69% · US 74% · 2 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
55%
MD 54% · US 60% · 3 of 5 stars

This hospital Maryland average US average

How VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore 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
VA Maryland Healthcare System - BaltimoreThis hospital2/556%—1 better 3 worse
University of Maryland Medical CenterSame city3/570%5 h 9 min2 better 2 worse
University of MD Medical Center Midtown CampusSame city3/566%4 h 3 min1 better 1 worse
Mercy Medical Center INCSame city3/580%3 h 57 min2 better 2 worse
Greater Baltimore Medical CenterSame city5/577%3 h 48 min6 better 1 worse
Sinai Hospital of BaltimoreSame city3/561%4 h 17 min4 better 6 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 Baltimore.

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 1,554 cases Too few cases 3.1% 3.9%
Heart attack 59 cases Too few cases 11.8% 11.9%
Heart failure 439 cases Too few cases 7.5% 11.1%
Pneumonia 214 cases Too few cases 12.2% 15.2%
COPD 238 cases Too few cases 5% 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.

11 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure No different 0.97 likely 0.63 – 1.32 1
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 4,846 cases No different 0.18 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.91 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 7,762 cases No different 0.28 per 1,000 likely 0.07 per 1,000 – 0.5 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 7,990 cases No different 0.26 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.46 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 1,173 cases No different 1.81 per 1,000 likely 0.38 per 1,000 – 3.24 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 583 cases No different 1.52 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.18 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 577 cases No different 15.29 per 1,000 likely 7.61 per 1,000 – 22.98 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 1,147 cases No different 3.67 per 1,000 likely 1.42 per 1,000 – 5.92 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 560 cases No different 3.89 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 7.64 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 246 cases No different 1.62 per 1,000 likely 0.15 per 1,000 – 3.09 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 784 cases No different 0.92 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.94 per 1,000 1.06 per 1,000

2 more measures 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.

2 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) No different 0.52 likely 0.03 – 2.54 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) No different 0 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 44 cases Too few cases 14.9% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 400 cases Too few cases 25.1% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 177 cases Too few cases 18% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 208 cases Too few cases 22.3% 20%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 62 cases Too few cases 32.6 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 571 cases Too few cases 55.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 251 cases Too few cases 21.1 days per 100 —

7 more measures had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

542 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 40 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 97
Pharmacist 68
Social Worker 25
Adult Health 24
Optometrist 24
Internal Medicine 20
Psychologist 19
Dietitian, Registered 17
Family 12
Physical Therapist 12
Psychiatry 10
Registered Nurse 10

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 VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore

Is VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore a good hospital?

VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 14 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore?

56% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 476 completed HCAHPS surveys.

Does VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore have an emergency room?

Yes. CMS lists emergency services at VA Maryland Healthcare System - Baltimore.