Source: CMS Care Compare, October 2026 releaseER figures are medians, not live waitsAbout the data
Visiting Durham VA Medical Center
- 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
- 1.6mi Duke University Hospital Durham, NC · Emergency room · median ER visit 5 hr 17 min Call Duke University Hospital Directions to Duke University Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Duke University Hospital
- 2.9mi Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC · Emergency room · median ER visit 4 hr 25 min Call Duke Regional Hospital Directions to Duke Regional Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Duke Regional Hospital
- 3.3mi North Carolina Specialty Hospital Durham, NC · Emergency room Call North Carolina Specialty Hospital Directions to North Carolina Specialty Hospital (Google Maps) Details for North Carolina Specialty Hospital
Quick answers about Durham VA Medical Center
How long is the ER wait at Durham VA Medical Center?
CMS doesn't publish live wait times. Over the 12 months CMS reported, patients treated and sent home spent a median of 3 hr 46 min in the Durham VA Medical Center emergency room (the average across North Carolina hospitals is 3 hr 3 min). 2% of ER patients left before being seen. For tonight's wait, call (919) 286-0411. In an emergency, call 911.
What is the phone number for Durham VA Medical Center?
The main phone number for Durham VA Medical Center is (919) 286-0411, from Medicare's hospital records.
Call (919) 286-0411What is the address of Durham VA Medical Center?
Durham VA Medical Center is at 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705.
Directions (opens Google Maps)Does Durham VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
Yes. Durham VA Medical Center has an emergency department, according to Medicare data.
What is Durham VA Medical Center's Medicare star rating?
Durham 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 October 2026
Patients treated and sent home from the emergency department at Durham VA Medical Center spend a median of 3 hours 46 minutes there. That is 43 minutes longer than the average across North Carolina hospitals (3 hours 3 minutes).
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 Durham VA Medical Center. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Compare ER waits across North Carolina · How North Carolina hospitals rank on star ratings · Other VA hospitals in North Carolina · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 540 completed surveys · patients discharged Jan 2025 – Dec 2025
Patients gave Durham VA Medical Center a 4-star patient experience rating out of 5. 75% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 73% 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 Durham VA Medical Center
Infections, complications and deaths
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide
Durham VA Medical Center 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 | 12.0% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure patients | 7.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 12.6% | 15.2% |
| COPD patients | 7.3% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 3.9% | 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 | 4.9 | 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 Durham VA Medical Center
Durham VA Medical Center 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.
Adults in North Carolina qualify for Medicaid up to 133% of the poverty line. Ask the hospital which North Carolina Medicaid plans it takes.
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% | 16.2% | Not compared |
| Heart attack | 14.3% | 14.4% | Not compared |
| Heart failure | 21.3% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 15.8% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 21% | 20% | Not compared |
| Hip or knee replacement | 4.5% | 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
Durham VA Medical Center'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. 124 patients. | 56% | 66% |
| Septic shock: full treatment within 3 hoursHigher is better. 86 patients. | 81% | 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. 172 patients. | 226 min | 162 min |
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 27,026 patients. | 2% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 4,132 patients. | 82% | 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. 1,467 patients. | 14% | 16% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 24 patients. | 92% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 2,591 patients. | 74% | 91%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 894 patients. | 80% | 97%* |
| Stroke: discharged on clot-prevention medicineHigher is better. 52 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 Durham 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
- 0.6mi University Health and Rehabilitation Center Durham, NC · 126 beds Medicare overall 1 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 3 of 5
- 0.7mi PruittHealth-Durham Durham, NC · 125 beds Medicare overall 1 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 3 of 5 SFF candidate
- 1.1mi Pettigrew Rehabilitation Center Durham, NC · 96 beds Medicare overall 4 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 5 of 5
Skilled nursing ratings and inspections at Nursing Homes In Each State
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 2.4mi DaVita Durham DialysisDurham, NC
- 2.7mi DaVita Durham West DialysisDurham, NC
- 2.7mi FMC West Pettigrew Dialysis CenterDurham, NC
Home health agencies nearby See more
- 0.9mi Centerwell Home HealthDurham, NC
- 2.7mi Liberty Home CareDurham, NC
- 6.5mi Duke Home HealthDurham, NC · 89% would recommend
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 8.7mi Duke HospiceDurham, NC · 88% would recommend
- 13mi UNC HospiceChapel Hill, NC · 89% would recommend
- 18mi Transitions LifecareRaleigh, NC · 93% would recommend
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
Find doctors in Durham
Medicare-enrolled specialists with a practice in Durham, with addresses, phone numbers and the hospitals they work with.
The area around Durham VA Medical Center
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Mental health: Parts of Durham are federally designated health professional shortage areas (2 designations). Highest shortage score 18.
Dental: Parts of Durham are federally designated health professional shortage areas (2 designations). Highest shortage score 17.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in North Carolina earn a median $84,350 a year. Healthcare salaries in North Carolina.
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. North Carolina shortage areas
Closest other hospitals
Healthcare pay in North Carolina
Registered nurses across North Carolina (all employers) earned a median of $84,350 a year (BLS, May 2025).Registered Nurse (RN) salary in North CarolinaNurse Practitioner salary in North CarolinaRespiratory Therapist salary in North CarolinaHealthcare salaries in North Carolina
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Cite this data
Writing about Durham 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.