VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) received a 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 26 for the first time.

TVHS is one of 19 hospitals in Tennessee to earn a 4-star rating based on key performance metrics between July 2018 through March 2022. Typically, CMS reviews three years of data before releasing star ratings.

“This is a testament to the exceptional work and passion our frontline staff provide every day,” said Deputy Executive Director Michael Renfrow. “We’ve still got room to grow and make strides toward a 5-star rating. We’re proud of this achievement and so should our Veterans because they deserve world-class health care.”

The CMS uses five categories – mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care – to award a quality rating for each hospital. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures.

Overall, 67% of VA hospitals included in the CMS annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings received either 4 or 5 stars, compared to only 41% of non-VA hospitals.

Furthermore, VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics in the recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Star Ratings, and a recent systematic review of more than 40 peer-reviewed studies found that VA health care is consistently as good as — or better than — non-VA health care.

“Our job at VA is to deliver the best possible care to every Veteran who walks through our doors,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal. “While we’re very proud of these findings, there is still work to do. We will study these results, learn from them, and continue to improve until we’re delivering world-class care to every Veteran, every time.”

VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville campus, as well as 19 community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.