James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center (Altoona)

Hospital in Altoona, PA, Medicare certification number 39001F. CMS publishes 21 quality measures for it.

Medicare certification

Provider of Services

CCN: 39001FThe number CMS certifies the facility under, not a provider identifier
Status: Active
Provider type: Hospital
Listed by Care Compare as: Acute Care - Veterans Administration
Ownership: Veterans Health Administration
Participating since: Mar 1, 1991
Last certification: Mar 1, 1991
Beds: 68
Overall star rating: 5 of 5Care Compare
Address: 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard
Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 943-8164

Patient survey (HCAHPS) 9

Medicare Care Compare

Cleanliness - star rating Better5 of 5
- State average 3.47 (computed here)
- National average 3.44 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Communication about medicines - star rating Better5 of 5
- State average 2.77 (computed here)
- National average 2.71 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Discharge information - star rating Better4 of 5
- State average 3.59 (computed here)
- National average 3.31 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Doctor communication - star rating Worse2 of 5
- State average 3.13 (computed here)
- National average 3.12 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Nurse communication - star rating Better5 of 5
- State average 3.8 (computed here)
- National average 3.43 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Overall hospital rating - star rating Better4 of 5
- State average 3.38 (computed here)
- National average 3.29 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Quietness - star rating Better4 of 5
- State average 2.85 (computed here)
- National average 3.27 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Recommend hospital - star rating Better5 of 5
- State average 3.67 (computed here)
- National average 3.64 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024
Summary star rating Better4 of 5
- State average 3.33 (computed here)
- National average 3.27 (computed here)
- Period from 10/01/2024

Complications and deaths 7

Medicare Care Compare

Death rate for COPD patients As expected7.8
- State average 8.11 (computed here)
- National average 8.6
- No different than the national rate
- 49 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Death rate for heart failure patients As expected11.4
- State average 10.73 (computed here)
- National average 11.1
- No different than the national rate
- 102 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Death rate for pneumonia patients As expected13
- State average 14.97 (computed here)
- National average 15.2
- No different than the national rate
- 112 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Risk Standardized Mortality Rate As expected3.9
- State average 3.79 (computed here)
- National average 3.9
- No different than the national rate
- 221 patients
- Period from 07/01/2024
Iatrogenic pneumothorax rate As expected0.21
- State average 0.21 (computed here)
- National average 0.21
- No different than the national rate
- 772 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
In-hospital fall-associated fracture rate As expected0.27
- State average 0.27 (computed here)
- National average 0.27
- No different than the national rate
- 787 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Pressure ulcer rate As expected0.55
- State average 0.63 (computed here)
- National average 0.63
- No different than the national rate
- 405 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022

Measures CMS does not publish for this facility (13)

Abdominopelvic accidental puncture or laceration rate — 1
CMS Medicare PSI 90: Patient safety and adverse events composite — 1
Death rate among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications — 1
Death rate for CABG surgery patients — 5
Death rate for heart attack patients — 1
Death rate for stroke patients — 5
Perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis rate — 1
Postoperative acute kidney injury requiring dialysis rate — 1
Postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma rate — 1
Postoperative respiratory failure rate — 1
Postoperative sepsis rate — 7
Postoperative wound dehiscence rate — 1
Rate of complications for hip/knee replacement patients — 5

Infections 0

Medicare Care Compare

Measures CMS does not publish for this facility (6)

Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (ICU + select Wards) — 13
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (ICU + select Wards) — 13
Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff) — 5
MRSA Bacteremia — 5
SSI - Abdominal Hysterectomy — 5
SSI - Colon Surgery — 5

Unplanned visits 5

Medicare Care Compare

Heart failure (HF) 30-Day Readmission Rate As expected21.1
- State average 21.59 (computed here)
- National average 21.3
- No different than the national rate
- 77 patients
- Period from 07/01/2023
Hospital return days for heart failure patients -37.6
- State average -1.7 (computed here)
- National average 4.02 (computed here)
- Fewer days than average per 100 discharges
- 119 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Hospital return days for pneumonia patients -66.3
- State average 2.03 (computed here)
- National average 5.65 (computed here)
- Fewer days than average per 100 discharges
- 143 patients
- Period from 07/01/2022
Pneumonia (PN) 30-Day Readmission Rate As expected17.1
- State average 17.56 (computed here)
- National average 17.3
- No different than the national rate
- 95 patients
- Period from 07/01/2023
Rate of readmission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients As expected19.8
- State average 20.02 (computed here)
- National average 20
- No different than the national rate
- 35 patients
- Period from 07/01/2023

Measures CMS does not publish for this facility (9)

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) 30-Day Readmission Rate — 1
Hospital return days for heart attack patients — 1
Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Readmission Measure (HWR) — 4
Rate of emergency department (ED) visits for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy — 5
Rate of inpatient admissions for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy — 5
Rate of readmission after hip/knee replacement — 5
Rate of readmission for CABG — 5
Rate of unplanned hospital visits after colonoscopy (per 1,000 colonoscopies) — 5
Ratio of unplanned hospital visits after hospital outpatient surgery — 5

Other hospitals in Altoona, PA

Upmc Altoona

Sources for this page

Provider of Services: the certification, provider type, beds and status.
Medicare Care Compare: the star rating and every measure on this page, with the state and national rates CMS publishes beside them.

Better and worse are CMS's own comparison with the national rate, not ours: for most measures a low score is the good one (deaths, infections) and for others a high one is, so measures where CMS states no comparison are left uncoloured. The exception is star ratings, which are read against the national average here. Quality measures are published by CMS and are not adjusted or re-scored here. Averages marked “computed here” are the mean of every facility reporting that measure, worked out by NPIMap because CMS publishes no comparison for it. Confirm anything you rely on at Medicare Care Compare.