Arizona hospital Medicare penalties
Which Arizona hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)12 of 6419% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions51 of 57Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs64Arizona hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Arizona hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Boswell Medical CenterSun City | 1% cut | 4 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 17.3 |
| Banner Desert Medical CenterMesa | 1% cut | 4 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.13 | 9 |
| Casa Grande Regional Medical CenterCasa Grande | 1% cut | 3 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.07 | 23 |
| Tucson Medical CenterTucson | 1% cut | 3 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.25 | 13.9 |
| Banner - University Medical Center PhoenixPhoenix | 1% cut | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 30.6 |
| Fort Defiance Indian HospitalFort Defiance | 1% cut | 2 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.04 | 50.3 |
| Summit Healthcare Regional Medical CenterShow Low | 1% cut | 2 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.03 | 41.5 |
| Banner Heart HospitalMesa | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.10 | 17.7 |
| Dignity Health Arizona General HospitalMesa | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.01 | 30.8 |
| East Valley ER & HospitalGilbert | 1% cut | – | – |
| Exceptional Community Hospital YumaYuma | 1% cut | 0 of 1 | – |
| Sells Indian Health Service HospitalSells | 1% cut | – | – |
| Scottsdale Healthcare-Shea Medical CenterScottsdale | No | 6 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.20 | 18.3 |
| John C Lincoln Deer Valley HospitalPhoenix | No | 5 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.21 | 20.1 |
| Arrowhead HospitalGlendale | No | 4 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.03 | 21.3 |
| Banner Estrella Medical CenterPhoenix | No | 4 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.03 | 30.4 |
| Sierra Vista Regional Health Center INCSierra Vista | No | 4 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.07 | 32 |
| Banner Thunderbird Medical CenterGlendale | No | 3 of 5Highest: COPD 1.02 | 19.8 |
| Havasu Regional Medical CenterLake Havasu City | No | 3 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.04 | 43.7 |
| Honorhealth Sonoran Crossing Medical CenterPhoenix | No | 3 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.11 | 31.1 |
| Mayo Clinic HospitalPhoenix | No | 3 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.15 | 53 |
| Northwest Medical Center SahuaritaSahuarita | No | 3 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 34 |
| Scottsdale Healthcare-Osborn Medical CenterScottsdale | No | 3 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.06 | 18.3 |
| Scottsdale Healthcare-Thompson Peak HospitalScottsdale | No | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.15 | 38.7 |
| St Joseph's Hospital and Medical CenterPhoenix | No | 3 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.06 | 32.3 |
| Yavapai Regional Medical CenterPrescott | No | 3 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.06 | 20.4 |
| Banner del E Webb Medical CenterSun City West | No | 2 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.09 | 16.3 |
| Banner Ironwood Medical CenterQueen Creek | No | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.08 | 29.3 |
| Banner Ocotillo Medical CenterChandler | No | 2 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.14 | 18.5 |
| Carondelet St Josephs HospitalTucson | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.05 | 27.6 |
| Carondelet St Marys HospitalTucson | No | 2 of 5Highest: COPD 1.03 | 15.3 |
| Chandler Regional Medical CenterChandler | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 28.7 |
| Chinle Comprehensive Health Care FacilityChinle | No | 2 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.06 | – |
| Flagstaff Medical CenterFlagstaff | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.05 | 26.1 |
| John C Lincoln North Mountain HospitalPhoenix | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 15.7 |
| Kingman Regional Medical CenterKingman | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 47.8 |
| Mercy Gilbert Medical CenterGilbert | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 31.2 |
| Northwest Medical CenterTucson | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.03 | 21.5 |
| Valleywise Health Medical CenterPhoenix | No | 2 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.06 | 25.8 |
| West Valley HospitalGoodyear | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 8.3 |
| Yuma Regional Medical CenterYuma | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.13 | 11.4 |
| Abrazo Central CampusPhoenix | No | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 23.4 |
| Abrazo Scottsdale CampusPhoenix | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.00 | 15.5 |
| Arizona Orthopedic Surgical HospitalChandler | No | 1 of 1Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.26 | – |
| Banner Baywood Medical CenterMesa | No | 1 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.04 | 6.3 |
| Banner Gateway Medical CenterGilbert | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.02 | 19.3 |
| Banner Goldfield Medical CenterApache Junction | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 75.3 |
| Banner-University Medical Center South CampusTucson | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.04 | 32.7 |
| Honorhealth Four Peaks Medical CenterMesa | No | 1 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.12 | 24.8 |
| Oro Valley HospitalOro Valley | No | 1 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.02 | 21.5 |
| Surgical Specialty Hospital of ArizonaPhoenix | No | 1 of 1Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.01 | – |
| Valley View Medical CenterFort Mohave | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.00 | 27.9 |
| Verde Valley Medical CenterCottonwood | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.06 | 25.5 |
| Western Arizona Regional Medical CtrBullhead City | No | 1 of 5Highest: COPD 1.04 | 33.1 |
| Arizona Spine and Joint HospitalMesa | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| City of Hope Cancer Center PhoenixGoodyear | No | – | 62.3 |
| Dignity Health - Arizona General HospitalLaveen | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Exceptional Community Hospital - MaricopaMaricopa | No | – | – |
| Exceptional Community Hospital Bullhead CityBullhead City | No | – | – |
| Phoenix Indian Medical CenterPhoenix | No | – | 85.7 |
| St Lukes Medical CenterPhoenix | No | – | – |
| Tuba City Indian Medical CtrTuba City | No | 0 of 1 | 60.7 |
| University Medical CenterTucson | No | 0 of 5 | 24.9 |
| Whiteriver Phs Indian HospitalWhiteriver | No | 0 of 1 | – |
Questions
Which Arizona hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
12 of 64 Arizona hospitals in the program (19%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Banner Boswell Medical Center, Banner Desert Medical Center, Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, Tucson Medical Center, Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix, Fort Defiance Indian Hospital, Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center, Banner Heart Hospital, Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital, East Valley ER & Hospital, Exceptional Community Hospital Yuma, Sells Indian Health Service Hospital.
What does a readmission ratio above 1.00 mean?
It means the hospital's Medicare patients were readmitted within 30 days more often than CMS expected for similar patients. In Arizona, 51 of 57 rated hospitals were above 1.00 on at least one condition.
HAC: the quarter of hospitals with the worst hospital-acquired condition scores get a 1% cut to Medicare inpatient payments. Readmissions: a ratio above 1.00 means more readmissions than expected; whether payments are cut depends on how the hospital compares with similar hospitals, so a ratio above 1.00 alone isn't a penalty. VBP: Value-Based Purchasing total performance score out of 100. How the penalties work.