Idaho hospital Medicare penalties
Which Idaho hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)2 of 1613% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions6 of 14Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs16Idaho hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Idaho hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Alphonsus Medical Center - NampaNampa | 1% cut | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.08 | 22 |
| Idaho Falls Community Hospital, LLCIdaho Falls | 1% cut | 0 of 4 | 31.3 |
| Eastern Idaho Regional Medical CenterIdaho Falls | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.14 | 27.5 |
| Portneuf Medical CenterPocatello | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.06 | 17.3 |
| St Alphonsus Regional Medical CenterBoise | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.04 | 13.6 |
| Madison Memorial HospitalRexburg | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | – |
| St Luke's Nampa Medical CenterNampa | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.01 | 44.6 |
| Grove Creek Medical CenterBlackfoot | No | – | – |
| Kootenai Medical CenterCoeur D'alene | No | 0 of 6 | 25.8 |
| Mountain View HospitalIdaho Falls | No | 0 of 1 | 60 |
| Northwest Specialty HospitalPost Falls | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| St Joseph Regional Medical CenterLewiston | No | 0 of 4 | 19.8 |
| St Lukes Magic Valley RMCTwin Falls | No | 0 of 4 | 32.7 |
| St Lukes Regional Medical CenterBoise | No | 0 of 6 | 35.8 |
| Treasure Valley HospitalBoise | No | – | – |
| West Valley Medical CenterCaldwell | No | 0 of 2 | 58 |
Questions
Which Idaho hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
2 of 16 Idaho hospitals in the program (13%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Saint Alphonsus Medical Center - Nampa, Idaho Falls Community Hospital, LLC.
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 Idaho, 6 of 14 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.