CMS certification 39001F
James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona)
2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602
James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona) 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 7 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 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: 177 completed surveys, 45% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona)This hospital | 5/5 | 80% | — | 1 better |
| UPMC AltoonaSame city | 3/5 | 48% | 3 h 30 min | 4 better 2 worse |
| Conemaugh Nason Medical CenterSame county · Roaring Spring | 5/5 | 80% | 2 h 21 min | 4 better |
| Penn Highlands TyroneSame county · Tyrone | Not rated | 75% | 1 h 44 min | No different |
| Conemaugh Miners Medical CenterSame ZIP area · Hastings | Not rated | 85% | 2 h 6 min | No different |
| Penn Highlands HuntingdonSame ZIP area · Huntingdon | 3/5 | 59% | 2 h 16 min | No different |
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 Altoona.
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 221 cases | Too few cases | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Heart failure 102 cases | Too few cases | 11.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 112 cases | Too few cases | 13% | 15.2% |
| COPD 49 cases | Too few cases | 7.8% | 8.6% |
3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 405 cases | No different | 0.55 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.81 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 772 cases | No different | 0.21 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 787 cases | No different | 0.27 per 1,000 likely 0.05 per 1,000 – 0.48 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
10 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 heart failure 77 cases | Too few cases | 21.1% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 95 cases | Too few cases | 17.1% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 35 cases | Too few cases | 19.8% | 20% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 119 cases | Too few cases | -37.6 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 143 cases | Too few cases | -66.3 days per 100 | — |
9 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Not reported for this hospital
CMS had too few cases here to publish results for infections caught in the hospital. That is common at small, rural and specialty hospitals, and says nothing either way about quality.
Clinicians registered at this address
174 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 | 22 |
| Social Worker | 19 |
| Clinical | 18 |
| Family | 12 |
| Pharmacist Clinician (PhC)/ Clinical Pharmacy Specialist | 10 |
| Registered Nurse | 9 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 7 |
| Physician Assistant | 6 |
| Internal Medicine | 5 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 5 |
| Occupational Therapist | 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 James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona)
Is James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona) a good hospital?
James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona) has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 7 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 1 and worse on none. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona)?
80% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 177 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona) have an emergency room?
No. CMS does not list emergency services at James E. van Zandt VA Medical Center (altoona).