Colorado hospital Medicare penalties
Which Colorado hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)7 of 5114% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions25 of 45Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs51Colorado hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Colorado hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder Community HospitalBoulder | 1% cut | 3 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.05 | 47.9 |
| Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center LLCLafayette | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 31.7 |
| Medical Center of Aurora, theAurora | 1% cut | 2 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.06 | 26.2 |
| Medical Center of the RockiesLoveland | 1% cut | 1 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 23.8 |
| Community HospitalGrand Junction | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 27.6 |
| St Elizabeth HospitalFort Morgan | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 38.6 |
| Uchealth Greeley HospitalGreeley | 1% cut | 0 of 4 | 20.6 |
| Rose Medical CenterDenver | No | 5 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.17 | 38.4 |
| Centura Health-Littleton Adventist HospitalLittleton | No | 4 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 25.3 |
| Centura Health-Penrose St Francis Health ServicesColorado Springs | No | 3 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.33 | 25.7 |
| HCA Healthone Mountain RidgeThornton | No | 3 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.08 | 21 |
| Presbyterian/St Luke's Medical CenterDenver | No | 3 of 3Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.08 | 28.6 |
| Adventhealth Castle RockCastle Rock | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 48.3 |
| Centura Health-Porter Adventist HospitalDenver | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.14 | 41.7 |
| Centura Health-St Anthony Central HospitalDenver | No | 2 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.03 | 36.3 |
| Longmont United HospitalLongmont | No | 2 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 28.2 |
| Parkview Medical Center INCPueblo | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.08 | 21.1 |
| Sky Ridge Medical CenterLone Tree | No | 2 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.33 | 21.4 |
| Sterling Regional MedcenterSterling | No | 2 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 50 |
| Centura Health-St Anthony North HospitalWestminster | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.02 | 29.6 |
| Delta County Memorial HospitalDelta | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 35 |
| Denver Health Medical CenterDenver | No | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 28.7 |
| Exempla Saint Joseph HospitalDenver | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.01 | 33.3 |
| Montrose Memorial HospitalMontrose | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.01 | 44.5 |
| North Colorado Medical CenterGreeley | No | 1 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 19.9 |
| Swedish Medical CenterEnglewood | No | 1 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 23.1 |
| University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz InpatientAurora | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.04 | 33 |
| Vail Valley Medical CenterVail | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 44.3 |
| Animas Surgical Hospital, LLCDurango | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Banner Fort Collins Medical CenterFort Collins | No | – | – |
| Banner North Co Medical Center - Loveland CampusLoveland | No | 0 of 3 | 23.4 |
| Centura Health-Avista Adventist HospitalLouisville | No | 0 of 2 | 37 |
| Centura Health-St Mary Corwin Medical CenterPueblo | No | 0 of 2 | 46.4 |
| Exempla Lutheran Medical CenterWheat Ridge | No | 0 of 4 | 26.7 |
| Longs Peak HospitalLongmont | No | 0 of 4 | 34.5 |
| Memorial Hospital CentralColorado Springs | No | 0 of 6 | 28.7 |
| Mercy Medical CenterDurango | No | 0 of 4 | 42.3 |
| National Jewish HealthDenver | No | – | – |
| Orthocolorado Hospital at St Anthony Med CampusDenver | No | – | – |
| Parker Adventist HospitalParker | No | 0 of 5 | 38.3 |
| Platte Valley Medical CenterBrighton | No | 0 of 2 | 23.1 |
| Poudre Valley HospitalFort Collins | No | 0 of 5 | 33.3 |
| San Luis Valley Regional Medical CenterAlamosa | No | 0 of 2 | – |
| St Anthony Summit Medical CenterBreckenridge | No | – | 72.3 |
| St Francis Hospital - InterquestColorado Springs | No | – | – |
| St Mary's Hospital and Medical CenterGrand Junction | No | 0 of 6 | 21.1 |
| Uchealth Broomfield HospitalBroomfield | No | – | – |
| Uchealth Grandview HospitalColorado Springs | No | 0 of 2 | – |
| Uchealth Highlands Ranch HospitalHighlands Ranch | No | 0 of 4 | 47 |
| Valley View Hospital AssociationGlenwood Springs | No | 0 of 5 | 38.3 |
| Yampa Valley Medical CenterSteamboat Springs | No | 0 of 1 | – |
Questions
Which Colorado hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
7 of 51 Colorado hospitals in the program (14%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Boulder Community Hospital, Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center LLC, Medical Center of Aurora, the, Medical Center of the Rockies, Community Hospital, St Elizabeth Hospital, Uchealth Greeley 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 Colorado, 25 of 45 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.