USCareCheck

CMS certification 38003F

Portland VA Medical Center

3710 SW US Veterans Hospital, Portland, OR 97239

Acute Care - Veterans Administration Emergency services

Portland VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 83% 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 4 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 5/5 CMS summary of quality measures
Would definitely recommend 83% US average 71%
Patient survey rating 4/5 573 completed surveys
Compared with the nation 1 worse 4 better of 15 measures CMS could compare

What patients said

Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 573 completed surveys, 34% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.

Would definitely recommend the hospital
83%
OR 74% · US 71% · 5 of 5 stars
Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10
81%
OR 73% · US 72% · 4 of 5 stars
Nurses always communicated well
85%
OR 81% · US 80% · 5 of 5 stars
Doctors always communicated well
84%
OR 81% · US 80% · 4 of 5 stars
Staff always explained new medicines
73%
OR 65% · US 62% · 4 of 5 stars
Given information about recovering at home
90%
OR 89% · US 86% · 4 of 5 stars
Room was always clean
72%
OR 75% · US 74% · 4 of 5 stars
Always quiet at night
61%
OR 57% · US 60% · 4 of 5 stars

This hospital Oregon average US average

How Portland 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
Portland VA Medical CenterThis hospital5/583%—4 better 1 worse
Ohsu Hospital and ClinicsSame city3/576%3 h 44 min3 better 2 worse
Legacy Emanuel Medical CenterSame city3/574%2 h 50 min1 better 3 worse
Providence St Vincent Medical CenterSame city4/579%3 h 50 min5 better 2 worse
Adventist Health PortlandSame city4/571%3 h 25 min3 better
Providence Portland Medical CenterSame city4/577%3 h 35 min3 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 Portland.

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 2,546 cases Too few cases 3.2% 3.9%
Heart attack 106 cases Too few cases 10.2% 11.9%
Heart failure 830 cases Too few cases 7.9% 11.1%
Pneumonia 424 cases Too few cases 10.3% 15.2%
COPD 265 cases Too few cases 6.1% 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.

3 worse than the nation 9 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Serious complications, combined measure Worse 1.46 likely 1.2 – 1.72 1
After hip or knee replacement 160 cases Too few cases 3.7% 4.1%
Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 69 cases No different 185.42 per 1,000 likely 128.03 per 1,000 – 242.8 per 1,000 173.3 per 1,000
Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 6,655 cases Worse 1.53 per 1,000 likely 0.97 per 1,000 – 2.09 per 1,000 0.63 per 1,000
Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 9,230 cases No different 0.19 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 9,745 cases No different 0.4 per 1,000 likely 0.21 per 1,000 – 0.59 per 1,000 0.27 per 1,000
Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 2,759 cases No different 2.87 per 1,000 likely 1.7 per 1,000 – 4.03 per 1,000 2.34 per 1,000
Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 1,314 cases No different 1.35 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.72 per 1,000 1.67 per 1,000
Breathing failure after surgery 1,335 cases Worse 15.6 per 1,000 likely 10.38 per 1,000 – 20.82 per 1,000 9.42 per 1,000
Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 2,934 cases No different 2.89 per 1,000 likely 1.07 per 1,000 – 4.72 per 1,000 3.52 per 1,000
Sepsis after surgery 1,321 cases No different 5.97 per 1,000 likely 3.01 per 1,000 – 8.92 per 1,000 5.27 per 1,000
Surgical wound splitting open 656 cases No different 2.52 per 1,000 likely 1.15 per 1,000 – 3.89 per 1,000 1.77 per 1,000
Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 1,933 cases No different 1.85 per 1,000 likely 0.97 per 1,000 – 2.74 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.

1 better than the nation 1 no different
Measure CMS comparison This hospital National
Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) No different 0.22 likely 0.01 – 1.08 1
Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) Better 0.13 likely 0.01 – 0.63 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 73 cases Too few cases 14% 14.4%
Readmitted after heart failure 692 cases Too few cases 23.7% 21.3%
Readmitted after pneumonia 351 cases Too few cases 18.5% 17.3%
Readmitted after COPD 230 cases Too few cases 19.9% 20%
Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 150 cases Too few cases 5.2% 5.8%
Days back in hospital after a heart attack 112 cases Too few cases -27.5 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after heart failure 998 cases Too few cases -5.4 days per 100 —
Days back in hospital after pneumonia 498 cases Too few cases 6.3 days per 100 —

6 more measures had too few cases here to report.

Clinicians registered at this address

789 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 20 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 103
Pharmacist 75
Registered Nurse 56
Internal Medicine 37
Dietitian, Registered 36
Audiologist 35
Social Worker 32
Family 24
Optometrist 22
Pharmacist Clinician (PhC)/ Clinical Pharmacy Specialist 21
Psychiatry 15
Medical-Surgical 14

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 Portland VA Medical Center

Is Portland VA Medical Center a good hospital?

Portland 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 4 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.

Would patients recommend Portland VA Medical Center?

83% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 573 completed HCAHPS surveys.

Does Portland VA Medical Center have an emergency room?

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