Quick answers
- Does Palo Alto VA Medical Center have an emergency room?
- Yes. Medicare (CMS) data lists emergency services at Palo Alto VA Medical Center. In a medical emergency, call 911.
- Where is Palo Alto VA Medical Center?
- 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, in Santa Clara County, California.
- What is the phone number of Palo Alto VA Medical Center?
- (650) 858-3939, as listed by Medicare (CMS).
- What is the Medicare star rating of Palo Alto VA Medical Center?
- 5 out of 5 stars in the CMS overall hospital quality rating (CMS data updated 2026-07-22).
Specialties and care areas[4]
- Allergy, asthma and immunology
- Audiology and speech
- Bariatric surgery
- Cardiology
- Colon and rectal surgery
- Dental/oral surgery
- Dermatology
- Gastroenterology
- Geriatrics
- Hematology/oncology
- Infectious disease
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Ophthalmology and optometry
- Orthopedics
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Primary care
- Pulmonary medicine
- Radiology
- Sleep medicine
- Surgery
- Urology
- Vascular surgery
- Addiction and substance use care
- Mental health care
Conditions treated[4]
- Spinal cord injuries and disorders
- Traumatic brain injury
- HIV and hepatitis
- Diabetes
- Substance use disorder
- PTSD
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Immune deficiency disorders
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo
Treatments[4]
- Addiction and substance use care
- Blind and low vision rehabilitation
- Chiropractic care
- Physical, occupational and kinesiotherapy
- Smoking and tobacco cessation
- Wound care and ostomy
- Suicide prevention
- Polytrauma care
- Women Veteran care
- Allergy skin and blood tests
- Asthma lung function tests
Programs and centers[4][5][7]
- MOVE! weight management
- Whole Health
- Telehealth
- Returning service member care
- Western Blind Rehabilitation Center
- Residential substance use treatment
- Women's Health Center (building 5)
- Tai Chi and Qigong classes
Emergency care (hospital website)[4]
| Emergency room | Yes |
|---|
Visiting and practical information
Other emergency rooms nearby
Hospitals that list emergency services, by straight-line distance (not driving distance).
- Stanford Health Care1.9 mi · Stanford, CA · Acute Care Hospital
- El Camino Health4.2 mi · Mountain View, CA · Acute Care Hospital
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City7.5 mi · Redwood City, CA · Acute Care Hospital
- Sequoia Hospital8.0 mi · Redwood City, CA · Acute Care Hospital
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Santa Clara9.4 mi · Santa Clara, CA · Acute Care Hospital
Other hospitals nearby
- Lucile Salter Packard Children's HSP at Stanford3.0 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Children's Hospital
Nursing homes, hospice, home health and dialysis nearby
Medicare-certified providers within 25 miles, by straight-line distance. Hospice and home health care is given at home: their address is the office.
Nursing homes
- The Terraces at Los Altos Health Facility1.4 mi · Los Altos, CA · 4 of 5 stars
- Palo Alto Post-Acute2.9 mi · Palo Alto, CA · 4 of 5 stars
- VI at Palo Alto3.3 mi · Palo Alto, CA · 5 of 5 stars
All nursing homes in the state →
Hospice providers
- Universal Hospice Care LLC4.0 mi · Menlo Park, CA
- Gold Star Hospice, LLC6.9 mi · Sunnyvale, CA
- Pathways Home Health and Hospice6.9 mi · Sunnyvale, CA · 3 of 5 stars
All hospice providers in the state →
Home health agencies
- Universal Home Health, LLC4.0 mi · Menlo Park, CA · 2 of 5 stars
- Grace Community Home Health Inc.4.0 mi · Mountain View, CA · 5 of 5 stars
- Five Star Home Care6.9 mi · Sunnyvale, CA
All home health agencies in the state →
Dialysis facilities
- Lucile Packard Stanford Pediatric Dialysis1.4 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- SHC Mountain View3.5 mi · Mountain View, CA · 5 of 5 stars
- SHC WB Mountain View3.5 mi · Mountain View, CA
Outpatient surgery centers nearby
Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers within 25 miles, by straight-line distance.
- Alma at Addison Surgery Center, LLC2.9 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- Surgecenter of Palo Alto2.9 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- Waverly Surgery Center2.9 mi · Palo Alto, CA
Community care nearby
Health centers, clinics, urgent care and pharmacies closest to this hospital, by straight-line distance, from official HRSA, Medicare and NPI Registry data. In a medical emergency, call 911.
Community health centers
- Mayview Community Health Center Palo Alto a member of Ravenswood Family Health Network1.7 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Community health center
- Santa Clara Valley Dentalcare - Mountain View El Camino Real1.8 mi · Mountain View, CA · Community health center
- Valley Health Center - North County2.3 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Community health center
Clinics and urgent care
- Cph-Comprehensive Pediatric Heath5.0 mi · Atherton, CA · Urgent care center
- Carbon Health Medical Group of Sunnyvale Inc6.8 mi · Sunnyvale, CA · Urgent care center
- Brightpath UC Care LLC6.9 mi · Sunnyvale, CA · Urgent care center
Pharmacies
- Discoscript Inc1.1 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Community/retail pharmacy
- Safeway Inc1.1 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Community/retail pharmacy
- Walgreen Co1.1 mi · Palo Alto, CA · Pharmacy
Assisted living nearby
Licensed homes from the official state licence list, by straight-line distance.
- Ivy Park at Palo Alto1.1 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- Palo Alto Commons1.1 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- VI at Palo Alto1.4 mi · Palo Alto, CA
- Channing House2.9 mi · Palo Alto, CA
About the Medicare star rating
CMS (the federal Medicare agency) gives many hospitals an overall rating from 1 to 5 stars, based on measures of mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience and timely care. It is one piece of information: ask your doctor what matters for your care. See the full Medicare profile →
Medicare quality data
What Palo Alto VA Medical Center reported to Medicare (CMS), the federal agency that publishes these results for hospitals nationwide. These are averages for many patients, not a prediction for any one person: ask your doctor what matters for your care. In a medical emergency, call 911.
What patients said (patient survey)
What this means: Patients who stayed overnight answered a national survey (HCAHPS) about their stay. More stars mean patients reported a better experience than at other hospitals. The percentages show how often patients gave the best answer, next to the national average.
| Summary star rating (all survey topics) | 4 of 5 stars |
|---|---|
| Overall rating of the hospital | 4 of 5 stars |
| Would recommend the hospital | 5 of 5 stars |
| Nurses communicated well | 5 of 5 stars |
| Doctors communicated well | 4 of 5 stars |
| Staff explained medicines | 5 of 5 stars |
| Information about recovery at home | 4 of 5 stars |
| Room and bathroom kept clean | 4 of 5 stars |
| Quiet at night | 3 of 5 stars |
| Rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10 | 81%National average: 72% |
| Would definitely recommend the hospital | 84%National average: 71% |
| Nurses “always” communicated well | 84%National average: 80% |
| Doctors “always” communicated well | 85%National average: 80% |
| Staff “always” explained medicines before giving them | 76%National average: 62% |
| Were given information about recovery at home | 89%National average: 86% |
| Room and bathroom “always” clean | 77%National average: 74% |
| Area around the room “always” quiet at night | 55%National average: 60% |
| Completed surveys | 524Response rate: 34% |
Source: Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital — CMS, released July 22, 2026; patients discharged October 2024 to September 2025.
Infections caught in the hospital
What this means: CMS compares the number of infections patients caught in this hospital with the number expected for a hospital like it. The number shown is that ratio: below 1 means fewer infections than expected, above 1 means more. “Better” or “worse” is shown only when the difference is clear in the data.
| Central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI) | 0.504No different from the national benchmark |
|---|---|
| Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) | 1.141No different from the national benchmark |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | Not reported to Medicare |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | Not reported to Medicare |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | Not reported to Medicare |
| Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) intestinal infections | Not reported to Medicare |
Source: Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital — CMS, released July 22, 2026; data from October 2024 to September 2025.
Complications and deaths
What this means: Death rates are the share of patients who died within 30 days of going into the hospital for that condition, adjusted for how sick they were. PSI-90 combines several serious complications (a lower number is better). “No different from the national rate” is the most common result and means the hospital is in line with hospitals nationwide.
| Deaths within 30 days: heart attack patients | 10.7% |
|---|---|
| Deaths within 30 days: heart failure patients | 8.5% |
| Deaths within 30 days: pneumonia patients | 11.6% |
| Deaths within 30 days: COPD patients | 7.9% |
| Deaths within 30 days: stroke patients | Not reported to Medicare |
| Deaths within 30 days: coronary bypass surgery (CABG) | Not reported to Medicare |
| Serious complications (patient safety indicator PSI-90) | 0.95No different from the national rate |
| Complications after hip or knee replacement | Too few cases to report |
Source: Complications and Deaths - Hospital — CMS, released September 10, 2026; data from July 2022 to June 2025.
Return visits to the hospital (readmissions)
What this means: The share of patients who had to be admitted to a hospital again within 30 days after going home, adjusted for how sick they were. A lower percentage is better.
| Returned to any hospital within 30 days (all patients) | Not reported to Medicare |
|---|---|
| Readmitted within 30 days: heart attack | 13.6% |
| Readmitted within 30 days: heart failure | 20.8% |
| Readmitted within 30 days: pneumonia | 18.4% |
| Readmitted within 30 days: COPD | 20.1% |
| Readmitted within 30 days: coronary bypass surgery | Not reported to Medicare |
| Readmitted within 30 days: hip or knee replacement | 5.7% |
Source: Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital — CMS, released September 10, 2026; data from July 2023 to June 2025.
Emergency room times and sepsis care
What this means: ER time is the middle (median) time from arriving at the emergency room to leaving it; busier ERs usually have longer times, so the ER volume is shown too. Leaving before being seen: a lower percentage is better. Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection; a higher percentage means more patients got every recommended early step.
Not reported to Medicare
Source: Timely and Effective Care - Hospital — CMS, released July 22, 2026.
ER wait times and Medicare ratings nearby
How this hospital compares with others in the area, ranked only by official Medicare (CMS) numbers.
Prices
We have not been able to read a price file for Palo Alto VA Medical Center yet. Every US hospital must publish its standard charges online (federal price transparency rule): look for “price transparency” or “standard charges” on the hospital’s website, or call the hospital and ask for an estimate. In a medical emergency, call 911.
Hospital information
| Hospital type | Federal/VA Acute Care Hospital |
|---|---|
| Address | 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304 |
| County | Santa Clara County |
| State | California |
| Phone | (650) 858‑3939 |
| Emergency services | Yes |
| Ownership | Veterans Health Administration |
| Medicare overall rating | 5 of 5 stars |
| CMS Certification Number | 05031F |
| Name in Medicare records | PALO ALTO VA MEDICAL CENTER |
| Profile level | Medicare data + hospital website |
| Main phone on the hospital’s website | (650) 493‑5000[4] |
| Official website | va.gov |
| Corrections | Report an error or suggest an update → |
Sources
- Hospital General Information — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), data updated 2026-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-29
- Medicare Care Compare — official Medicare profile of this hospital
- U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder — map position used for distances
From the hospital’s website
Numbers match the citations above. Checked 2026-10-30.