VA New Mexico Healthcare SystemAlbuquerque, NM
- CountyBERNALILLO
- Emergency CapableYes
Quality and performance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · data as of July 2026
CMS has not reported an emergency department wait time for VA New Mexico Healthcare System. 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 VA New Mexico Healthcare System. For a medical emergency, call 911.
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What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 629 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave VA New Mexico Healthcare System a 4-star patient experience rating out of 5. 75% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 74% 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.
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
VA New Mexico Healthcare System was no different from the national benchmark on all 2 hospital-acquired infections CMS could compare. Its rate of serious complications was worse than national.
Hospital-acquired infections
Serious complications
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack patients | 10.6% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure patients | 7.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 11.3% | 15.2% |
| COPD patients | 6.0% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 3.1% | 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
All 12 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications after hip or knee replacement% of patients | 4.1 | 4.1 | Not compared |
| Deaths among surgical patients with serious treatable complicationsper 1,000 patients | 165.55 | 173.3 | Same as national |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores)per 1,000 patients | 3.17 | 0.63 | Worse than national |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a broken boneper 1,000 patients | 0.4 | 0.27 | Same as national |
| Collapsed lung caused by a medical procedureper 1,000 patients | 0.16 | 0.21 | Same as national |
| Bleeding or blood clot under the skin after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.07 | 2.34 | Same as national |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.48 | 1.67 | Same as national |
| Respiratory failure after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 11.29 | 9.42 | Same as national |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 3.22 | 3.52 | Same as national |
| Bloodstream infection (sepsis) after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 6.91 | 5.27 | Same as national |
| Surgical wound splitting openper 1,000 patients | 2.61 | 1.77 | Same as national |
| Accidental cuts or tears during abdominal surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.57 | 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% | 14.4% | Not compared |
| Heart failure | 21.8% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 19% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 19.9% | 20% | Not compared |
| Hip or knee replacement | 6.8% | 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
VA New Mexico 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. 159 patients. | 43% | 65% |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 24,113 patients. | 3% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 3,053 patients. | 83% | 78% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 33 patients. | 79% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 2,575 patients. | 72% | 90%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 345 patients. | 72% | 97%* |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 43 patients. | 100% | 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.
The area around VA New Mexico Healthcare System
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Parts of Bernalillo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (1 designation). Highest shortage score 18.
Mental health: Parts of Bernalillo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (4 designations). Highest shortage score 20.
Dental: Parts of Bernalillo are federally designated health professional shortage areas (1 designation). Highest shortage score 17.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in New Mexico earn a median $94,340 a year. Healthcare salaries in New Mexico.
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. New Mexico shortage areas
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