Source: CMS Care Compare, July 2026 releaseER figures are medians, not live waitsAbout the data
Visiting Birmingham VA Medical Center
Birmingham, AL 35233
County: Jefferson Directions Apple Maps Call (205) 933-4515
- Photo ID and your insurance, Medicare or Medicaid card
- A list of your medicines, doses and allergies
- Your doctor's name and phone number
- A phone charger
Nearby hospitals
- 0.2mi University of Alabama Hospital Birmingham, AL · Emergency room · median ER visit 3 hr 31 min Call University of Alabama Hospital Directions to University of Alabama Hospital (Google Maps) Details for University of Alabama Hospital
- 0.3mi Children's Hospital of Alabama Birmingham, AL · Emergency room Call Children's Hospital of Alabama Directions to Children's Hospital of Alabama (Google Maps) Details for Children's Hospital of Alabama
- 0.8mi St Vincent's Birmingham Birmingham, AL · Emergency room · median ER visit 4 hr 3 min Call St Vincent's Birmingham Directions to St Vincent's Birmingham (Google Maps) Details for St Vincent's Birmingham
Quick answers about Birmingham VA Medical Center
What is the phone number for Birmingham VA Medical Center?
The main phone number for Birmingham VA Medical Center is (205) 933-4515, from Medicare's hospital records.
Call (205) 933-4515What is the address of Birmingham VA Medical Center?
Birmingham VA Medical Center is at 700 South 19th Street, Birmingham, AL 35233.
Directions (opens Google Maps)Does Birmingham VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. Birmingham VA Medical Center has an emergency department, according to Medicare data.
What is Birmingham VA Medical Center's Medicare star rating?
Birmingham VA Medical Center has an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Star ratings come from CMS quality and safety measures, not patient reviews.
Quality and performance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · data as of July 2026
CMS has not reported an emergency department wait time for Birmingham VA Medical Center. That usually means too few cases to report, or no emergency department.
Source: CMS Hospital General Information and Timely & Effective Care. Wait times are a median over a past 12-month reporting period, not live data. Not affiliated with CMS or with Birmingham VA Medical Center. For a medical emergency, call 911.
How Alabama hospitals rank on star ratings · Other VA hospitals in Alabama · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 850 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave Birmingham VA Medical Center a 4-star patient experience rating out of 5. 73% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 78% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10.
The patient survey (HCAHPS) asks a random sample of adult patients about their recent hospital stay. CMS adjusts the results for the mix of patients and how the survey was done, so hospitals can be compared fairly. About the data.
Compare Birmingham VA Medical Center
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
Birmingham VA Medical Center was no different from the national benchmark on all 2 hospital-acquired infections CMS could compare. Its rate of serious complications was same as national.
Hospital-acquired infections
Serious complications
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack patients | 11.2% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure patients | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| COPD patients | 6.6% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 3.3% | 3.9% |
Risk-adjusted rates. CMS has not published a statistical better/worse comparison for these death rates in the current release, so small differences from the U.S. rate may be chance.
Other complications
None of the other safety indicators CMS compares was statistically better or worse than national.
All 12 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications after hip or knee replacement% of patients | 3.4 | 4.1 | Not compared |
| Deaths among surgical patients with serious treatable complicationsper 1,000 patients | 157.82 | 173.3 | Same as national |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores)per 1,000 patients | 0.16 | 0.63 | Same as national |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a broken boneper 1,000 patients | 0.25 | 0.27 | Same as national |
| Collapsed lung caused by a medical procedureper 1,000 patients | 0.17 | 0.21 | Same as national |
| Bleeding or blood clot under the skin after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.39 | 2.34 | Same as national |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.39 | 1.67 | Same as national |
| Respiratory failure after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 5.74 | 9.42 | Same as national |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 3.06 | 3.52 | Same as national |
| Bloodstream infection (sepsis) after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 6.33 | 5.27 | Same as national |
| Surgical wound splitting openper 1,000 patients | 1.94 | 1.77 | Same as national |
| Accidental cuts or tears during abdominal surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.08 | 1.06 | Same as national |
"Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national benchmark statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Infection results compare the infections a hospital reported with the number predicted for a hospital of its size and type (a ratio below 1 means fewer than predicted), for Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. Death and complication rates are risk-adjusted for how sick patients were. Each death rate counts deaths within 30 days of a hospital stay, pooled over one to three years of Medicare patients depending on the measure. About the data.
Readmissions and return visits
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Medicare patients · Jul 2023 – Jun 2025
Back in the hospital within 30 days
| After a stay for | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart attack | 15.3% | 14.4% | Not compared |
| Heart failure | 21% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 18.1% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 20.3% | 20% | Not compared |
| Hip or knee replacement | 5.6% | 5.8% | Not compared |
Return trips after a stay or procedure
Readmission rates count Medicare patients who were admitted to any acute-care hospital within 30 days of leaving this one, adjusted for how sick they were. "Better" or "worse" means CMS found the difference from the national rate statistically significant; most hospitals are "no different". Return-day and outpatient-surgery measures compare the hospital with what CMS expected for its own patients. The Readmissions Reduction Program ratios are shown as CMS publishes them; whether a hospital's payments are reduced depends on how its ratios compare with similar hospitals, so a ratio above 1.00 alone doesn't mean a penalty. About the data.
Timely and effective care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · all patients unless noted · Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Birmingham VA Medical Center's emergency department is classed by CMS as low volume.
| Measure | This hospital | U.S.* |
|---|---|---|
| Sepsis: got all recommended early treatmentPatients with severe sepsis or septic shock who received every step of the recommended early care bundle. Higher is better. 126 patients. | 37% | 65% |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 14,654 patients. | 1% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 3,383 patients. | 69% | 78% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 54 patients. | 100% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 2,069 patients. | 78% | 90%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 617 patients. | 77% | 97%* |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 64 patients. | 98% | 98%* |
CMS publishes these process-of-care measures without a better/worse verdict, so the U.S. figure is shown for context; small differences, or results based on few patients, may not mean much. *Median of all hospitals CMS reports, where CMS publishes no national figure. About the data.
Care after a stay at Birmingham VA Medical Center
Medicare-certified providers near this hospital, with their CMS ratings. A hospital discharge planner can make the referral.
Skilled nursing facilities nearby
- 0.5mi South Health and Rehabilitation Birmingham, AL · 83 beds Medicare overall 3 of 5 stars
- 1.1mi Greenbriar at the Altamont Skilled Nursing Facility Birmingham, AL · 95 beds Medicare overall 3 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 2 of 5
- 1.8mi Civic Center Health and Rehabilitation Birmingham, AL · 95 beds Medicare overall 2 of 5 stars
Skilled nursing ratings and inspections at Nursing Homes In Each State
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 0.3mi DaVita Birmingham Central DialysisBirmingham, AL
- 0.3mi DaVita Red Mountain HT at HomeBirmingham, AL
- 0.3mi FMC Birmingham MetroBirmingham, AL
Home health agencies nearby See more
- 2.7mi Centerwell Home HealthBirmingham, AL · 85% would recommend
- 2.7mi Amedisys Home Health Lakeshore of BirminghamHomewood, AL · 77% would recommend
- 5.6mi Compassus Home HealthBirmingham, AL · 78% would recommend
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 1.1mi Adoration HospiceOxford, AL · 84% would recommend Not rated
- 1.4mi Expect Care HospiceHoover, AL · 91% would recommend
- 2.7mi Amedisys Hospice of BirminghamHomewood, AL · 87% would recommend
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
Find doctors in Birmingham
Medicare-enrolled specialists with a practice in Birmingham, with addresses, phone numbers and the hospitals they work with.
The area around Birmingham VA Medical Center
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Parts of Jefferson are federally designated health professional shortage areas (1 designation). Highest shortage score 12.
Mental health: Parts of Jefferson are federally designated health professional shortage areas (2 designations). Highest shortage score 19.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in Alabama earn a median $77,080 a year. Healthcare salaries in Alabama.
Shortage areas are designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration where there are too few primary care, mental health or dental providers for the population; scores run from 0 to 25 for primary and mental health care and 0 to 26 for dental care, higher meaning greater need. Alabama shortage areas
Closest other hospitals
Healthcare pay in Alabama
Registered nurses across Alabama (all employers) earned a median of $77,080 a year (BLS, May 2025).Registered Nurse (RN) salary in AlabamaNurse Practitioner salary in AlabamaRespiratory Therapist salary in AlabamaHealthcare salaries in Alabama
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Cite this data
Writing about Birmingham VA Medical Center? You're welcome to quote these figures. They are free to use under CC BY 4.0: please credit HospitalsInEachState.com and link to this page.