The hospital patient survey star rating uses a 5-star scale to make it easier for patients to compare hospitals.

“Every Veteran should have an outstanding experience when they visit our medical center or one of our 10 Veterans clinics,” said Dr. Oladipo (Ladi) Kukoyi, Executive Director. “Quality health care is accompanied by top notch customer service. We are proud of the HCAHPS 4-star rating, but the men and women who care for Alabama’s Veterans strive for 5-stars.”

Eleven HCAHPS Star Ratings appear on Care Compare: one for each of 10 specific measures of patient experience plus an overall Summary Star rating. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updates the HCAHPS Star Ratings each quarter.

“Communication and responsiveness make a difference,” said Kukoyi. “Customer service is not a meaningless phrase. We are passionate about the VA mission, we love what we do, and the patient experience sets the tone in Birmingham VA health care. Many of our employees are Veterans and understand the experiences of our patients.” 

The most recent ratings provided scores for 109 VA hospitals. Hospitals with fewer than 100 completed surveys are not assigned HCAHPS Star Ratings; however, their HCAHPS measure scores are reported on Care Compare. 

HCAHPS Star Ratings are developed from patient surveys administered through VA’s Survey of Health Care Experience of Patients and the private sector through the HCAHPS survey. The same questions are asked on VA and community hospital surveys to evaluate the patient experience. In addition to hospital comparisons, the VA Quality of Care site provides ratings for outpatient care nursing homes, including State Veterans Homes and MISSION Act quality comparisons.