VA hospital in Salem, Virginia
Salem VA Medical Center
A chart of the figures in the table that follows.
| Year | CMS stars |
|---|---|
| 5 | |
| 5 | |
| 5 | |
| 4 |
Source: CMS Hospital General Information (dataset xubh-q36u), released ; CMS archived hospital files released , and .
VA hospitals with 4 stars, each year: : 40: 27: 32: 37
Key measures
Four measures CMS reports for most hospitals, beside the state and national figures CMS publishes for them.
- Would definitely recommend the hospital
- 82%
- Virginia 70%National 71%
- Catheter urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ratio
- 0.000
- 0 observed, 1.8 predictedVirginia 0.374
- No Different than National Benchmark
CMS categories for this hospital's measures
Better0 measures
No different12 measures
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ICU and select wards
- Serious complications composite (PSI 90)
- Deaths after a serious treatable surgical complication
- Collapsed lung caused by a procedure
- Falls in the hospital that caused a fracture
- Bleeding or hematoma after surgery
- Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery
- Breathing failure after surgery
- Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery
- Sepsis after surgery
- Surgical wound reopening
- Accidental cut or tear during an abdominal or pelvic procedure
Worse1 measure
Too few cases0 measures
| Group | Measures used | Better | No different | Worse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Safety of care | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Readmissions | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
"Better" and "worse" are CMS's comparison of each measure with the national value.
Measures outside "No different"
These are the measures where CMS's own comparison category for this hospital is better, worse or "Number of Cases Too Small"; for every other measure with a category it is "No different".
| Measure | This hospital | CMS comparison | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure ulcers | 1.51 | Worse Than the National Rate | to |
Patient survey
Answers from patients surveyed after a hospital stay; higher percentages are better. How to read VA patient survey scores.
Period for all rows: to . Virginia and national figures: CMS footnote 21. Bars run from 0 to 100%: this hospital, with a short tick for Virginia and a tall one for the nation.
| Measure | This hospital | Virginia | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient survey summary star rating | 5 of 5 | Not compared | Not compared |
| Would definitely recommend the hospital | 82% | 70% | 71% |
| Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10 | 87% | 72% | 72% |
| Nurses always communicated well | 89% | 81% | 80% |
| Doctors always communicated well | 88% | 80% | 80% |
| Staff always explained medicines before giving them | 71% | 62% | 62% |
| Were given information about recovery at home | 91% | 87% | 86% |
| Room and bathroom were always clean | 79% | 74% | 74% |
| Area around the room was always quiet at night | 63% | 60% | 60% |
Infections
A standardized infection ratio compares the infections a hospital reported with the number predicted for its patients; below 1 means fewer than predicted. How to read infection ratios.
Period for all rows: to .
| Measure | This hospital | Virginia | National | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), ICU and select wards | Not available (footnote 13) | 0.503 | 1.000 | No CMS comparison in this release |
| Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ICU and select wards | 0.000 | 0.374 | 1.000 | No Different than National Benchmark |
Deaths
Risk-standardized death rates within 30 days of admission, by condition; lower is better, and CMS's current release does not say whether a difference from the national rate is meaningful. How to read death and readmission rates.
Period for all rows unless a row says otherwise: to . CMS publishes no Virginia figure for these measures.
| Measure | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths within 30 days, heart attack patients | 11.5% | 11.9% |
| Deaths within 30 days, heart failure patients | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| Deaths within 30 days, pneumonia patients | 12.5% | 15.2% |
| Deaths within 30 days, COPD patients | 7.6% | 8.6% |
| Deaths within 30 days, all conditions (hospital-wide)Period: to | 4.3% | 3.9% |
Complications
Serious complications measured by the Patient Safety Indicators CMS reports, and the complication rate after hip or knee replacement; lower is better. How the star rating works.
Period for all rows unless a row says otherwise: to . CMS publishes no Virginia figure for these measures.
| Measure | This hospital | National | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications composite (PSI 90) | 1.22 | 1.00 | No Different Than the National Value |
| Pressure ulcers | 1.51 | 0.63 | Worse Than the National Rate |
| Deaths after a serious treatable surgical complication | 179.13 | 173.3 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure | 0.25 | 0.21 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a fracture | 0.28 | 0.27 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery | 2.98 | 2.34 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery | 1.9 | 1.67 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Breathing failure after surgery | 6.13 | 9.42 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery | 2.81 | 3.52 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Sepsis after surgery | 6.54 | 5.27 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Surgical wound reopening | 2 | 1.77 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Accidental cut or tear during an abdominal or pelvic procedure | 1.24 | 1.06 | No Different Than the National Rate |
| Complications after hip or knee replacementPeriod: to | 3.8% | 4.1% | No CMS comparison in this release |
Readmissions
Unplanned returns within 30 days of discharge, and hospital return days; lower is better, and CMS's current release does not publish a comparison for these rates. How to read death and readmission rates.
Period for all rows unless a row says otherwise: to . CMS publishes no Virginia figure for these measures.
| Measure | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|
| Readmitted within 30 days, heart attack patients | 14.4% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted within 30 days, heart failure patients | 19.9% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted within 30 days, pneumonia patients | 15.5% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted within 30 days, COPD patients | 19.8% | 20% |
| Readmitted within 30 days after hip or knee replacement | 6.9% | 5.8% |
| Days back in the hospital within 30 days, heart attack patientsPeriod: to | Not available (footnote 1) | Not compared |
| Days back in the hospital within 30 days, heart failure patientsPeriod: to | -16 days per 100 discharges | Not compared |
| Days back in the hospital within 30 days, pneumonia patientsPeriod: to | -44.2 days per 100 discharges | Not compared |
Emergency department
Median minutes in the emergency department and the share of patients who left before being seen; lower is better, and the national median shown is for emergency departments in the same CMS volume group. How to read emergency department times.
Period for all rows unless a row says otherwise: to . Virginia and national figures: CMS footnote 25.
| Measure | This hospital | Virginia | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving, excluding transferred and mental health patients | Not available (footnote 5) | 161 minutes (footnote 26) | 165 minutes (footnote 26) medium-volume EDs |
| Median emergency department time for mental health patients | Not available (footnote 5) | 242 minutes | 253 minutes medium-volume EDs |
| Left the emergency department before being seenPeriod: to | 1% | 2% (footnote 26) | 2% (footnote 26) |
Timely and effective care
How often patients received recommended care, and the share of health care workers given a flu shot; higher is better. How the star rating works.
Period for all rows unless a row says otherwise: to . Bars run from 0 to 100%: this hospital, with a short tick for Virginia and a tall one for the nation.
| Measure | This hospital | Virginia | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe sepsis and septic shock care that met every stepPeriod: to | 70% | 67% (footnotes 25, 26) | 65% (footnotes 25, 26) |
| Health care workers given a flu vaccinationPeriod: to | 81% | 87% | 78% |
| Appropriate follow-up interval after a normal screening colonoscopy, average risk patients | 100% | 91% (footnotes 25, 26) | 93% (footnotes 25, 26) |
| Emergency department patients with stroke symptoms given brain scan results within 45 minutes of arrivalPeriod: to | Not available (footnote 5) | 69% (footnote 25) | 69% (footnote 25) |
| Ischemic stroke patients discharged on an antithrombotic | 86% | Not compared | Not compared |
| Patients given blood clot prevention | 72% | Not compared | Not compared |
| Intensive care patients given blood clot prevention | 78% | Not compared | Not compared |
Behavioral health
Treatment offered for alcohol, drug and tobacco use, and hours of physical restraint and seclusion; CMS leaves VA hospitals out of the state and national averages for these measures, so none is shown. How this site reads these measures.
Period for all rows: to . CMS publishes no Virginia or national figure for these measures.
| Measure | This hospital |
|---|---|
| Alcohol use brief intervention provided or offered | 82% (footnotes 2, 20) |
| Alcohol or drug use disorder treatment provided or offered at discharge | 97% (footnotes 2, 20) |
| Tobacco use treatment provided or offered at discharge | 75% (footnotes 2, 20) |
| Hours of physical restraint use | 0.19 hours per 1,000 patient hours (footnote 20) |
| Hours of seclusion | 0.06 hours per 1,000 patient hours (footnote 20) |
What CMS does not report here
CMS reports measures for this hospital in all eight areas this site covers.
CMS notes for this facility
CMS attaches footnotes to a hospital's star rating or to its measures, whether or not it reports a value. Each is CMS's own sentence, quoted once; the markers beside figures on this page link here.
- CMS footnote 1: The number of cases/patients is too few to report. CMS attached it to measures in: readmissions.
- CMS footnote 2: Data submitted were based on a sample of cases/patients. CMS attached it to measures in: behavioral health.
- CMS footnote 5: Results are not available for this reporting period. CMS attached it to measures in: emergency department, timely and effective care.
- CMS footnote 13: Results cannot be calculated for this reporting period. CMS attached it to measures in: infections.
- CMS footnote 20: State and national averages do not include Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospital data. CMS attached it to measures in: behavioral health.
- CMS footnote 21: Patient survey results for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals do not represent official HCAHPS results and are not included in state and national averages. This page prints it beside the figures it describes.
- CMS footnote 25: State and national averages include Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospital data. CMS attached it to the state and national figures for measures in: emergency department, timely and effective care.
- CMS footnote 26: State and national averages include Department of Defense (DoD) hospital data. CMS attached it to the state and national figures for measures in: emergency department, timely and effective care.
Other VA hospitals in Virginia
CMS's star rating for each of the other VA hospitals in Virginia, and the three years before, by name. All VA hospitals in Virginia.
- Hampton VA Medical CenterHampton
- : 4 stars
- : 4 stars
- : 4 stars
- : 4 stars
4 of 5 - Richmond VA Medical CenterRichmond
- : 2 stars
- : 4 stars
- : 5 stars
- : 5 stars
5 of 5
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the CMS Provider Data Catalog. Released by CMS on : Hospital General Information; Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital; Patient survey (HCAHPS) - State; Patient survey (HCAHPS) - National; Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital; Healthcare Associated Infections - State; Healthcare Associated Infections - National; Veterans Health Administration Timely and Effective Care Data; Veterans Health Administration Behavioral Health Data; Timely and Effective Care - National; Timely and Effective Care - State; Footnote Crosswalk. Released by CMS on : Complications and Deaths - Hospital; Complications and Deaths - National; Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital; Unplanned Hospital Visits - National. Earlier star ratings come from CMS's archived hospital files, released , and . The dataset ids and how this site reads each file are on the methodology page. CMS's own page for this hospital is on Care Compare.
These ratings describe measured past performance. They are not medical advice. For questions about your own care, talk with your VA care team or the hospital's patient advocate.
- Name in CMS files
- SALEM VA MEDICAL CENTER
- Emergency department volume group (CMS)
- Medium
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