Staff Reports | Community Updates
The Phoenix VA Health Care System announced it received a five-star rating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating report, maintaining its five-star rating from last year.
The ratings are based on five categories — mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care — according to a press release.
CMS’ Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings evaluate hospitals on a scale of one to five stars, with higher ratings indicating stronger performance across the quality measures.
“Earning a 5‑star rating from CMS reflects the unwavering dedication our entire team brings to caring for Veterans every day,” Elijah Ditter, medical center director for the Phoenix VA, said. “This recognition underscores our commitment to providing safe, timely, high‑quality care, and we are proud to contribute to VA’s ongoing excellence nationwide.”
Nationwide, 78% of VA hospitals that received a rating earned an Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating of four or five stars in 2026.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that VA hospitals have outperformed non-VA care, and the second consecutive year that no VA hospital received a one-star rating. The percentage of VA hospitals receiving four or five stars in recent years is as follows:
- 2023: 67%
- 2024: 58%
- 2025: 77%
- 2026: 78%
Additional information on facility ratings and methodology is available from CMS. The report also reflects broader systemwide indicators across the Department of Veterans Affairs. Among them:
- More than 125,000 new Veterans enrolled in VA health care in 2026.
- Thirty-five VA health care facilities opened since Jan. 20, 2025.
- A 70% reduction in the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits since Jan. 20, 2025.
- 82,083,918 direct care appointments completed in fiscal year 2025, a 4.1% increase from fiscal year 2024.
- More than 2.5 million appointments offered outside of normal operating hours.
- 51,936 homeless Veterans permanently housed in fiscal year 2025.
