Chicago City Wire

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago has received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its 2025 hospital quality ratings. The CMS evaluates hospitals based on mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. The five-star rating is the highest possible score.

Only three hospitals in Chicago achieved this top rating. Jesse Brown VA was noted for particularly low 30-day mortality rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, and pneumonia, which were significantly below national averages.

"These ratings highlight the excellent care Jesse Brown VA provides,” said Sarah Unterman, MD, Jesse Brown VA Chief of Staff. “Our job is to continue raising the bar for health care quality, customer service, and convenience throughout the medical center, so Jesse Brown VA works better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we have the privilege of serving.”

According to CMS’s 2025 data, 77% of VA hospitals that received an Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating earned either four or five stars. No VA hospitals received a one-star rating. Over 90% of rated VA hospitals maintained or improved their star ratings compared to last year.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has also reported several system-wide improvements since January 2025. The backlog of veterans waiting for benefits has dropped by more than a third. Sixteen new clinics have opened nationwide to expand access to care. An additional $800 million has been allocated toward infrastructure upgrades at department facilities to enhance patient safety and effectiveness.

Nearly one million health care appointments have been offered outside normal operating hours this year to improve convenience for veterans seeking early-morning, evening, or weekend visits. Disability claims processing reached a record high with over 2.52 million ratings claims handled as of August 8th in fiscal year 2025.

Other changes include making it easier for enrolled veterans to access non-VA providers at department expense and implementing reforms to simplify survivor benefits applications. The department is also accelerating deployment of an integrated electronic health record system.

The partnership between the VA and CMS resulted in recovering $106 million in duplicate billing cases. Efforts have also focused on bringing more employees back onsite for improved teamwork and housing over 37,000 homeless veterans through June 2025.

For further information about these developments or hospital performance data, contact Jesse Brown VA's public affairs team at CHSPAO@va.gov.