Delaware hospital Medicare penalties
Which Delaware hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)0 of 60% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions4 of 6Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs6Delaware hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Delaware hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayhealth - Kent General HospitalDover | No | 5 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.13 | 14.7 |
| Beebe Medical CenterLewes | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.21 | 18.5 |
| Christiana Care Health Services, INC.Newark | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.00 | 22.3 |
| St Francis HospitalWilmington | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.01 | 26.1 |
| Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex CampusMilford | No | 0 of 5 | 24.2 |
| Nanticoke Memorial HospitalSeaford | No | 0 of 4 | 20.8 |
Questions
Which Delaware hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
No Delaware hospital received the Hospital-Acquired Condition penalty in fiscal year 2026.
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 Delaware, 4 of 6 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.