The Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System announced today that it received a 5-star rating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating report. This year’s 5‑star rating reflects the organization’s continued excellence, sustaining its top‑tier performance from last year.
CMS’ Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings are based on five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. A higher star rating, out of five, indicates better performance along these quality measures.
“Earning a 5-star rating again from CMS places the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System among the highest-rated hospitals in the nation, and that matters because it tells Lowcountry Veterans throughout coastal South Carolina and Georgia they can receive exceptional care right here at their VA,” said Scott Isaacks, Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System Director and Chief Executive Officer. “This rating reflects the discipline, skill and commitment of our entire team, from our clinical providers to our support staff, who work every day to deliver safe, timely and high-quality care to the Veterans we are honored to serve.”
Nationwide, 78% of VA hospitals that received a rating got an Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating of four or five stars in 2026.
This is the fourth consecutive year that VA has outperformed non-VA care, and the second year in a row that no VA hospital received a one-star rating. The percentage of VA hospitals receiving four or five stars has grown dramatically in the last two years:
- 2023, 67%
- 2024, 58%
- 2025, 77%
- 2026, 78%
View the star ratings for each facility and methodology for the ratings.
For more information, please contact Wayne Capps at Howard.Capps@va.gov or 843-789-7699, or visit https://www.va.gov/charleston-
This year’s CMS report is just one example of how VA is working better for Veterans. Among other improvements, VA has:
- Enrolled more than 125,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026.
- Opened 35 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
- Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 70% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the prior administration.
- Completed 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY2025, up 4.1% from FY2024.
- Offered Veterans more than 2.5 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
- Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY2025, the highest total in seven years.