Columbia Sc VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC

Infections, complications and deaths

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · compared with hospitals nationwide

Columbia Sc VA Medical Center was no different from the national benchmark on the one hospital-acquired infection CMS could compare.

Hospital-acquired infections

Death rates within 30 days

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.

"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.

Readmissions and return visits

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Medicare patients · Jul 2024 – Jun 2025

Back in the hospital within 30 days

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

Columbia Sc VA Medical Center's emergency department is classed by CMS as medium volume.

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 Columbia Sc VA Medical Center

HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data

Primary care: Parts of Richland are federally designated health professional shortage areas (1 designation). Highest shortage score 12.

Mental health: Parts of Richland are federally designated health professional shortage areas (1 designation). Highest shortage score 17.

Dental: Parts of Richland are federally designated health professional shortage areas (2 designations). Highest shortage score 15.

Nurse pay: registered nurses in South Carolina earn a median $82,360 a year. Healthcare salaries in South 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. South Carolina shortage areas