Source: CMS Care Compare, July 2026 releaseER figures are medians, not live waitsAbout the data
Visiting VA Black Hills Healthcare System
Fort Meade, SD 57741
County: Meade Directions Apple Maps Call (605) 347-2511
- 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
- 2.0mi Sturgis Regional Hospital Sturgis, SD · Emergency room · median ER visit 2 hr 12 min Call Sturgis Regional Hospital Directions to Sturgis Regional Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Sturgis Regional Hospital
- 13mi Lead - Deadwood Regional Hospital - CAH Deadwood, SD · Emergency room · median ER visit 1 hr 30 min Call Lead - Deadwood Regional Hospital - CAH Directions to Lead - Deadwood Regional Hospital - CAH (Google Maps) Details for Lead - Deadwood Regional Hospital - CAH
- 20mi Spearfish Regional Hospital Spearfish, SD · Emergency room · median ER visit 2 hr 24 min Call Spearfish Regional Hospital Directions to Spearfish Regional Hospital (Google Maps) Details for Spearfish Regional Hospital
Quick answers about VA Black Hills Healthcare System
What is the phone number for VA Black Hills Healthcare System?
The main phone number for VA Black Hills Healthcare System is (605) 347-2511, from Medicare's hospital records.
Call (605) 347-2511What is the address of VA Black Hills Healthcare System?
VA Black Hills Healthcare System is at 113 Comanche Road, Fort Meade, SD 57741.
Directions (opens Google Maps)Does VA Black Hills Healthcare System have an emergency room?
Yes. VA Black Hills Healthcare System has an emergency department, according to Medicare data.
What is VA Black Hills Healthcare System's Medicare star rating?
VA Black Hills 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 July 2026
CMS has not reported an emergency department wait time for VA Black Hills 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 Black Hills Healthcare System. For a medical emergency, call 911.
How South Dakota hospitals rank on star ratings · How we source this data · Something wrong on this page? Tell us
What patients say
CMS patient survey (HCAHPS) · 203 completed surveys · patients discharged Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Patients gave VA Black Hills Healthcare System a 5-star patient experience rating out of 5. 79% would definitely recommend it (U.S. average 71%). 81% 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
Its rate of serious complications was same as national.
Serious complications
Death rates within 30 days
| Patients treated for | This hospital | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Heart failure patients | 9.7% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia patients | 12.1% | 15.2% |
| COPD patients | 7.5% | 8.6% |
| Hospital-wide, all conditions | 4.8% | 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 6 complication measures
| Measure | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores)per 1,000 patients | 0.51 | 0.63 | Same as national |
| Falls in the hospital that caused a broken boneper 1,000 patients | 0.31 | 0.27 | Same as national |
| Collapsed lung caused by a medical procedureper 1,000 patients | 0.21 | 0.21 | Same as national |
| Bleeding or blood clot under the skin after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 2.32 | 2.34 | Same as national |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgeryper 1,000 patients | 3.47 | 3.52 | Same as national |
| Accidental cuts or tears during abdominal surgeryper 1,000 patients | 1.05 | 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). 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 Black Hills Healthcare System
VA Black Hills 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.
Adults in South Dakota qualify for Medicaid up to 133% of the poverty line. Ask the hospital which South Dakota 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 2023 – Jun 2025
Back in the hospital within 30 days
| After a stay for | This hospital | U.S. | CMS comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart failure | 22.2% | 21.3% | Not compared |
| Pneumonia | 17.8% | 17.3% | Not compared |
| COPD (chronic lung disease) | 19.9% | 20% | 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 2024 – Dec 2024
VA Black Hills Healthcare System's emergency department is classed by CMS as low volume.
| Measure | This hospital | U.S.* |
|---|---|---|
| Patients who left the ER before being seenLower is better. 5,864 patients. | 1% | 2% |
| Health care workers vaccinated against fluHigher is better. 1,323 patients. | 80% | 78% |
| Colonoscopy: right follow-up interval for average-risk patientsHigher is better. 17 patients. | 94% | 93% |
| Blood clot prevention givenHigher is better. 332 patients. | 75% | 90%* |
| Blood clot prevention given in intensive careHigher is better. 48 patients. | 85% | 97%* |
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 Black Hills Healthcare System
Medicare-certified providers near this hospital, with their CMS ratings. A hospital discharge planner can make the referral.
Skilled nursing facilities nearby
- 2.1mi Monument Health Sturgis Care Center Sturgis, SD · 40 beds Medicare overall 3 of 5 stars
- 20mi Spearfish Canyon Healthcare Spearfish, SD · 105 beds Medicare overall 2 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 4 of 5 Abuse citation (CMS)
- 23mi Good Samaritan Society - St Martin Village Rapid City, SD · 60 beds Medicare overall 3 of 5 stars · Short-stay quality 3 of 5
Skilled nursing ratings and inspections at Nursing Homes In Each State
Dialysis centers nearby See more
- 23mi Monument Health Dialysis LLC SpearfishSpearfish, SD
- 24mi Monument Health Dialysis LLC Rapid CityRapid City, SD
Home health agencies nearby See more
- 23mi Monument Health Home Plus Home HealthSpearfish, SD · 87% would recommend
- 24mi State Home Care Services, INCRapid City, SD
- 24mi Westhills Village Home HealthRapid City, SD · 86% would recommend
Hospice care providers nearby See more
- 23mi Monument Health Home Plus HospiceSpearfish, SD · 77% would recommend Not rated
Source: CMS Care Compare. Distances are approximate.
The area around VA Black Hills Healthcare System
HRSA shortage designations and BLS pay data
Primary care: Meade is a federally designated health professional shortage area. Highest shortage score 13.
Mental health: Meade is a federally designated health professional shortage area. Highest shortage score 18.
Nurse pay: registered nurses in South Dakota earn a median $78,060 a year. Healthcare salaries in South Dakota.
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 Dakota shortage areas
Closest other hospitals
Healthcare pay in South Dakota
Registered nurses across South Dakota (all employers) earned a median of $78,060 a year (BLS, May 2025).Registered Nurse (RN) salary in South DakotaNurse Practitioner salary in South DakotaRespiratory Therapist salary in South DakotaHealthcare salaries in South Dakota
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Cite this data
Writing about VA Black Hills 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.