Hawaii hospital Medicare penalties
Which Hawaii 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 1164% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions10 of 11Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs11Hawaii hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Hawaii hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Queens Medical CenterHonolulu | 1% cut | 4 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.14 | 31.6 |
| Kona Community HospitalKealakekua | 1% cut | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 37.3 |
| Straub Clinic and HospitalHonolulu | 1% cut | 2 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.03 | 33.4 |
| Kaiser Foundation HospitalHonolulu | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.05 | 54.3 |
| Maui Memorial Medical CenterWailuku | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.02 | 35.8 |
| Wilcox Memorial HospitalLihue | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.16 | 40.5 |
| North Hawaii Community HospitalKamuela | 1% cut | 0 of 2 | 47.8 |
| Castle Medical CenterKailua | No | 2 of 5Highest: COPD 1.05 | 52.1 |
| Hilo Medical CenterHilo | No | 2 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.07 | 43.5 |
| Kuakini Medical CenterHonolulu | No | 2 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 36 |
| Pali Momi Medical CenterAiea | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.09 | 37.9 |
Questions
Which Hawaii hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
7 of 11 Hawaii hospitals in the program (64%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: The Queens Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital, Straub Clinic and Hospital, Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Wilcox Memorial Hospital, North Hawaii Community 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 Hawaii, 10 of 11 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.