Part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program is among the most rigorous systematic efforts to reduce hospital readmission rates. Beginning in Oct. 2012, hospitals with excess readmissions for patients within 30 days of discharge are penalized with fines by CMS.
Medicare is reducing reimbursement for 2,610 hospitals for high readmission rates in the third year of the program. This is a record number of hospitals penalized — 433 hospitals more than last year.
The 39 hospitals listed below reported the highest excess of readmissions and will be fined with a 3 percent readmission penalty by CMS, which will affect payments for every Medicare patient stay from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2015. Hospitals are listed in alphabetical order.
1. Arizona Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Hospital (Chandler)
2. Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital (Mesa)
3. Baylor Orthopedic and Spine Hospital (Arlington, Texas)
4. Beaufort County Memorial Hospital (Beaufort, S.C.)
5. Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center (Las Vegas)
6. Coordinated Health Orthopedic Hospital (Bethlehem, Pa.)
7. Davis Memorial Hospital (Elkins, W.Va.)
8. Fannin Regional Hospital (Blue Ridge, Ga.)
9. Fauquier Hospital (Warrenton, Va.)
10. Franklin Medical Center (Winnsboro, La.)
11. Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hospital (Harlan, Ky.)
12. Hazard (Ky.) ARH Regional Medical Center
13. Jackson County Memorial Hospital (Altus, Okla)
14. Johnston Memorial Hospital (Abingdon, Va.)
15. Livingston Regional Hospital (Tenn.)
16. Memorial Hospital (Manchester, Ky.)
17. Monroe County Medical Center (Tompkinsville, Ky.)
18. Northwest Texas Surgery Center (Amarillo)
19. Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia)
20. Pineville (Ky.) Community Hospital
21. Physician's Care Surgical Hospital (Royersford, Pa.)
22. Physicians Medical Center (Houma, La.)
23. Physicians' Specialty Hospital (Fayetteville, Ark.)
24. Regional Hospital of Jackson (Tenn.)
25. Reston (Va.) Hospital Center
26. River Oaks Hospital (Flowood, Miss.)
27. Russell County Medical Center (Lebanon, Va.)
28. Skiff Medical Center (Newton, Iowa)
29. Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center (Emporia)
30. St. John Broken Arrow (Okla.)
31. Surgical Hospital at Southwoods (Youngstown, Ohio)
32. Sutter Surgical Hospital-North Valley (Yuba City, Ca.)
33. Three Rivers Medical Center (Louisa, Ky.)
34. Trinity Bettendorf (Iowa)
35. Western Missouri Medical center (Warrensburg, Mo.)
36. Westlake Regional Hospital (Columbia, Ky.)
37. Whitesburg (Ky.) ARH Hospital
38. Williamson ARH Hospital (South Williamson, Ky.)
39. Williamson (W.Va.) Memorial Hospital
Additional analysis on Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program fines can be viewed here.