CMS certification 50030F
Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)
1660 S. Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108
Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System) has a CMS overall rating of 4 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 4 and worse on 2.
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: 586 completed surveys, 30% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
How Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)This hospital | 4/5 | 72% | — | 4 better 2 worse |
| Harborview Medical CenterSame city | 2/5 | 71% | 4 h 59 min | 1 better 2 worse |
| Kaiser Permanente Central HospitalSame city | Not rated | 59% | — | No different |
| Virginia Mason Medical CenterSame city | 5/5 | 76% | 3 h 26 min | 4 better 1 worse |
| Swedish Medical CenterSame city | 4/5 | 74% | 2 h 24 min | 2 better |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry HillSame city | 4/5 | 76% | 3 h 6 min | 2 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 Seattle.
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 1,545 cases | Too few cases | 3.4% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 80 cases | Too few cases | 12% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 417 cases | Too few cases | 6.9% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 218 cases | Too few cases | 11.1% | 15.2% |
| COPD 175 cases | Too few cases | 7.9% | 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.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | Worse | 1.68 likely 1.34 – 2.02 | 1 |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 54 cases | No different | 209.24 per 1,000 likely 152.26 per 1,000 – 266.21 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 4,596 cases | Worse | 2.26 per 1,000 likely 1.55 per 1,000 – 2.96 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 6,674 cases | No different | 0.41 per 1,000 likely 0.19 per 1,000 – 0.62 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 6,939 cases | No different | 0.42 per 1,000 likely 0.22 per 1,000 – 0.62 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 838 cases | No different | 2.4 per 1,000 likely 0.93 per 1,000 – 3.87 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 394 cases | No different | 1.42 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.02 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 350 cases | No different | 12.44 per 1,000 likely 5.12 per 1,000 – 19.77 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 842 cases | No different | 4.95 per 1,000 likely 2.66 per 1,000 – 7.23 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 366 cases | No different | 5.7 per 1,000 likely 2.06 per 1,000 – 9.35 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 181 cases | No different | 1.56 per 1,000 likely 0.12 per 1,000 – 3 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 821 cases | No different | 1.36 per 1,000 likely 0.37 per 1,000 – 2.36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | Better | 0 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 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 49 cases | Too few cases | 14.6% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 363 cases | Too few cases | 20.2% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 167 cases | Too few cases | 18.6% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 127 cases | Too few cases | 20.6% | 20% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 80 cases | Too few cases | 35.4 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 505 cases | Too few cases | -6.3 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 241 cases | Too few cases | 43.6 days per 100 | — |
7 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,085 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 24 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 | 209 |
| Pharmacist | 145 |
| Internal Medicine | 45 |
| Registered Nurse | 42 |
| Social Worker | 33 |
| Psychologist | 30 |
| Psychiatry | 29 |
| Physical Therapist | 27 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | 25 |
| Occupational Therapist | 24 |
| Adult Health | 22 |
| Dietitian, Registered | 17 |
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 Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)
Is Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System) a good hospital?
Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System) has a CMS overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Of the 13 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 4 and worse on 2. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System)?
72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 586 completed HCAHPS surveys.
Does Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System) have an emergency room?
Yes. CMS lists emergency services at Seattle VA Medical Center (VA Puget Sound Healthcare System).