USCareCheck

CMS certification 33009F

Albany VA Medical Center

113 Holland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208

Acute Care - Veterans Administration Emergency services

Albany VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 13 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.

CMS overall rating 2/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 72% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 3/5 567 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 1 worse 1 better of 13 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 567 completed surveys, 33% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
72%
NY 67% · US 71% · 4 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
72%
NY 66% · US 72% · 4 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
80%
NY 77% · US 80% · 4 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
78%
NY 77% · US 80% · 3 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
63%
NY 59% · US 62% · 3 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
87%
NY 85% · US 86% · 4 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
69%
NY 69% · US 74% · 3 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
46%
NY 49% · US 60% · 2 of 5 stars

This hospital New York average US average

How Albany 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
Albany VA Medical CenterThis hospital2/572%—1 better 1 worse
Albany Medical Center HospitalSame city1/557%4 h 26 min4 better 1 worse
St Peter's HospitalSame city2/577%5 h 41 min2 better 3 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 Albany.

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 858 cases Too few cases 3.5% 3.9%
Heart attack 42 cases Too few cases 11% 11.9%
Heart failure 256 cases Too few cases 9% 11.1%
Pneumonia 298 cases Too few cases 11.4% 15.2%
COPD 176 cases Too few cases 7% 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 1.07 likely 0.67 – 1.46 1
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 2,731 cases No different 0.56 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.42 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 4,183 cases No different 0.18 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.4 per 1,000 0.21 per 1,000
Broken bones from falls in the hospital 4,354 cases No different 0.36 per 1,000 likely 0.16 per 1,000 – 0.57 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 375 cases No different 2.38 per 1,000 likely 0.74 per 1,000 – 4.02 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 194 cases No different 1.55 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.22 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 199 cases No different 10.97 per 1,000 likely 2.33 per 1,000 – 19.62 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 384 cases No different 2.98 per 1,000 likely 0.54 per 1,000 – 5.43 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 173 cases No different 6.84 per 1,000 likely 2.85 per 1,000 – 10.84 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 117 cases No different 1.99 per 1,000 likely 0.5 per 1,000 – 3.48 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 635 cases No different 1.2 per 1,000 likely 0.17 per 1,000 – 2.23 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 0.67 likely 0.03 – 3.31 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) No different 0.8 likely 0.04 – 3.95 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 42 cases Too few cases 14.9% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 213 cases Too few cases 21.8% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 238 cases Too few cases 21% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 145 cases Too few cases 22.3% 20%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 53 cases Too few cases 13.3 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 324 cases Too few cases 4.5 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 343 cases Too few cases 51.3 days per 100 —

7 more measures had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

340 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 61
Social Worker 46
Clinical 28
Dietitian, Registered 18
Family 13
Internal Medicine 13
Psychiatry 11
Psychologist 9
Adult Health 8
Occupational Therapist 7
Audiologist 5
Physical Therapist 5

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 Albany VA Medical Center

Is Albany VA Medical Center a good hospital?

Albany VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 13 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 Albany VA Medical Center?

72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 567 completed HCAHPS surveys.

Does Albany VA Medical Center have an emergency room?

Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Albany VA Medical Center.