CMS certification 39013F
Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center
1111 East End Boulevard, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 82% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 11 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: 545 completed surveys, 39% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How Wilkes Barre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes Barre VA Medical CenterThis hospital | 5/5 | 82% | — | 2 better |
| Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 63% | 3 h 20 min | 6 better 1 worse |
| Wilkes-Barre General HospitalSame city | 2/5 | 53% | 3 h 29 min | 3 better 5 worse |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital - HazletonSame county · Hazleton | 2/5 | 56% | 3 h 14 min | 1 better 1 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 Wilkes-Barre.
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 844 cases | Too few cases | 4.2% | 3.9% |
| Heart failure 213 cases | Too few cases | 9.5% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 268 cases | Too few cases | 12.1% | 15.2% |
| COPD 184 cases | Too few cases | 8.8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | No different | 0.83 likely 0.4 – 1.27 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 171 cases | Too few cases | 4% | 4.1% |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 1,963 cases | No different | 0.38 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.42 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 3,379 cases | No different | 0.2 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.43 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 3,515 cases | No different | 0.25 per 1,000 likely 0.04 per 1,000 – 0.46 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 486 cases | No different | 2.48 per 1,000 likely 0.81 per 1,000 – 4.15 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 396 cases | No different | 2.01 per 1,000 likely 0.33 per 1,000 – 3.69 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 386 cases | No different | 7.18 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 16.09 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 501 cases | No different | 3.1 per 1,000 likely 0.61 per 1,000 – 5.59 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 350 cases | No different | 4.62 per 1,000 likely 0.54 per 1,000 – 8.7 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 120 cases | No different | 1.69 per 1,000 likely 0.19 per 1,000 – 3.19 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 356 cases | No different | 0.97 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.01 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
1 more measure 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.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0 | 1 |
5 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 189 cases | Too few cases | 20.5% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 211 cases | Too few cases | 17.9% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 150 cases | Too few cases | 20.4% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 192 cases | Too few cases | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 270 cases | Too few cases | -50.3 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 301 cases | Too few cases | -3.4 days per 100 | — |
8 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
315 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 | 47 |
| Clinical | 31 |
| Social Worker | 26 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 16 |
| Internal Medicine | 16 |
| Pharmacist Clinician (PhC)/ Clinical Pharmacy Specialist | 16 |
| Registered Nurse | 13 |
| Dentist | 10 |
| Physician Assistant | 10 |
| Family | 7 |
| Optometrist | 7 |
| Ambulatory Care | 6 |
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 Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center
Is Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center a good hospital?
Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 11 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 Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center?
82% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 545 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center.