Source: CMS Care Compare, October 2026 releaseER figures are medians, not live waitsAbout the data
Visiting VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, CA 92161
County: San Diego Directions Apple Maps Call (858) 552-8585
- 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
- 0.8mi Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · Emergency room · median ER visit 3 hr 1 min Call Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla Directions to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (Google Maps) Details for Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla
- 1.7mi Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · Emergency room Call Scripps Green Hospital Directions to Scripps Green Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Scripps Green Hospital
- 7.0mi Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · Emergency room · median ER visit 3 hr 12 min Call Sharp Memorial Hospital Directions to Sharp Memorial Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Sharp Memorial Hospital
Quick answers about VA San Diego Healthcare System
How long is the ER wait at VA San Diego Healthcare System?
CMS doesn't publish live wait times. Over the 12 months CMS reported, patients treated and sent home spent a median of 4 hr 4 min in the VA San Diego Healthcare System emergency room (the average across California hospitals is 3 hr). 1% of ER patients left before being seen. For tonight's wait, call (858) 552-8585. In an emergency, call 911.
What is the phone number for VA San Diego Healthcare System?
The main phone number for VA San Diego Healthcare System is (858) 552-8585, from Medicare's hospital records.
Call (858) 552-8585What is the address of VA San Diego Healthcare System?
VA San Diego Healthcare System is at 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161.
Directions (opens Google Maps)Does VA San Diego Healthcare System have an emergency room?
Yes. VA San Diego Healthcare System has an emergency department, according to Medicare data.
What is VA San Diego Healthcare System's Medicare star rating?
VA San Diego Healthcare System has an overall rating of 5 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 October 2026
Patients treated and sent home from the emergency department at VA San Diego Healthcare System spend a median of 4 hours 4 minutes there. That is 1 hour 4 minutes longer than the average across California hospitals (3 hours).
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 VA San Diego Healthcare System. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Compare ER waits across California · How California hospitals rank on star ratings · Other VA hospitals in California · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 570 completed surveys · patients discharged Jan 2025 – Dec 2025
Patients gave VA San Diego Healthcare System a 4-star patient experience rating out of 5. 72% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 71% 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 VA San Diego Healthcare System
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
VA San Diego Healthcare System was no different from the national benchmark on all 2 hospital-acquired infections CMS could compare.
Hospital-acquired infections
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack patients | 9.5% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure patients | 5.2% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 7.1% | 15.2% |
| COPD patients | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 2.8% | 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 1 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications after hip or knee replacement% of patients | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not compared |
"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 Jan 2025 – Dec 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.
Health care eligibility at VA San Diego Healthcare System
VA San Diego Healthcare System is a VA medical center. VA hospitals care for veterans enrolled in VA health care; contact the VA to check your eligibility before you go.
California runs its own exchange, Covered California. Check its provider directory for VA San Diego Healthcare System.
Source: the insurers' 2027 machine-readable provider files listed in the CMS Marketplace public use files, loaded November 4, 2026, matched to hospitals by NPI from CMS Hospital Enrollments. How we match networks to hospitals Networks change; confirm with your insurer before you go.
Readmissions and return visits
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Medicare patients · Jul 2024 – Jun 2025
Back in the hospital within 30 days
| After a stay for | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| All conditions (hospital-wide)Medicare patients back in any hospital within 30 days of leaving. | 16.9% | 16.2% | Not compared |
| Heart attack | 15.3% | 14.4% | Not compared |
| Heart failure | 22.6% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 18.9% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 21.4% | 20% | Not compared |
| Hip or knee replacement | 5.2% | 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 · Jan 2025 – Dec 2025
VA San Diego Healthcare System's emergency department is classed by CMS as medium 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. 108 patients. | 54% | 66% |
| Septic shock: full treatment within 3 hoursHigher is better. 71 patients. | 86% | 75% |
| Typical time in the ER before going homeMedian minutes from arrival to leaving, for ER patients sent home (not counting mental health patients or transfers). Lower is better. 100 patients. | 244 min | 162 min |
| Typical ER time for mental health patients sent homeMedian minutes from arrival to leaving. Lower is better. 16 patients. | 386 min | 257 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 34,604 patients. | 1% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 4,317 patients. | 83% | 77% |
| Discharged on two opioids, or an opioid and a benzodiazepinePatients sent home with prescriptions that raise the risk of overdose when combined. Lower is better. 1,392 patients. | 13% | 16% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 37 patients. | 97% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 3,496 patients. | 71% | 91%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 605 patients. | 62% | 97%* |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 53 patients. | 96% | 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 VA San Diego Healthcare System
Medicare-certified providers near this hospital, with their CMS ratings. A hospital discharge planner can make the referral.
Skilled nursing facilities nearby
- 0.8mi Vi at La Jolla Village San Diego, CA · 60 beds Medicare overall 5 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 4 of 5
- 0.8mi The Springs at Pacific Regent San Diego, CA · 59 beds Medicare overall 5 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 4 of 5
- 1.9mi La Jolla Post-Acute La Jolla, CA · 161 beds Medicare overall 3 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 2 of 5
Skilled nursing ratings and inspections at Nursing Homes In Each State
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 5.3mi Fresenius Medical Care of La JollaSan Diego, CA
- 6.0mi Fresenius Medical Care Balboa - Kearny MesaSan Diego, CA
- 7.2mi FKC Home Training Center of San DiegoSan Diego, CA
Home health agencies nearby See more
- 1.8mi Accentcare Home Health at UC San DiegoSan Diego, CA · 73% would recommend
- 1.8mi Bridge Home HealthSan Diego, CA · 69% would recommend
- 2.3mi Aspire Home HealthcareSan Diego, CA · 77% would recommend
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 1.8mi GentivaSan Diego, CA · 78% would recommend
- 1.8mi Bridge HospiceSan Diego, CA Not rated
- 2.3mi Lightbridge HospiceSan Diego, CA · 89% would recommend
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
Find doctors in San Diego
Medicare-enrolled specialists with a practice in San Diego, with addresses, phone numbers and the hospitals they work with.
The area around VA San Diego Healthcare System
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (9 designations). Highest shortage score 17.
Mental health: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (10 designations). Highest shortage score 18.
Dental: Parts of San Diego are federally designated health professional shortage areas (10 designations). Highest shortage score 20.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in California earn a median $140,270 a year. Healthcare salaries in California.
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. California shortage areas
Closest other hospitals
Healthcare pay in California
Registered nurses across California (all employers) earned a median of $140,270 a year (BLS, May 2025).Registered Nurse (RN) salary in CaliforniaNurse Practitioner salary in CaliforniaRespiratory Therapist salary in CaliforniaHealthcare salaries in California
Add this rating badge to your website
The badge updates automatically when CMS publishes new ratings. The compact and footer-strip sizes fit site footers and sidebars. All badge sizes and help.
Cite this data
Writing about VA San Diego Healthcare System? 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.