Kentucky hospital Medicare penalties
Which Kentucky hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)21 of 5936% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions53 of 59Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs59Kentucky hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Kentucky hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Healthcare PavilionLouisville | 1% cut | 6 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.20 | 15.5 |
| Pikeville Medical CenterPikeville | 1% cut | 5 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.09 | 23.3 |
| University of Louisville HospitalLouisville | 1% cut | 4 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.06 | 8.7 |
| Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare HospitalHarlan | 1% cut | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.10 | 27.1 |
| Hazard Arh Regional Medical CenterHazard | 1% cut | 3 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 27.5 |
| King's Daughters' Medical CenterAshland | 1% cut | 3 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.14 | 22.8 |
| Monroe County Medical CenterTompkinsville | 1% cut | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.16 | 40.4 |
| Murray-Calloway County HospitalMurray | 1% cut | 3 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.10 | 28.4 |
| Hardin Memorial HospitalElizabethtown | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.12 | 25.3 |
| Highlands Regional Medical CenterPrestonsburg | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.06 | 15.3 |
| Jackson Purchase Medical CenterMayfield | 1% cut | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.05 | 16.8 |
| Jewish HospitalLouisville | 1% cut | 2 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.12 | 17.7 |
| Flaget Memorial HospitalBardstown | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 50.5 |
| Jennie Stuart Medical CenterHopkinsville | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.07 | 11.3 |
| Memorial HospitalManchester | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 30.8 |
| Rockcastle Reg Hospital & Respiratory Care CtrMt Vernon | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 32.2 |
| Saint Joseph Mount SterlingMt Sterling | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 47.3 |
| The Medical Center at Bowling GreenBowling Green | 1% cut | 1 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 10.9 |
| Western Baptist HospitalPaducah | 1% cut | 1 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.06 | 22.4 |
| Taylor Regional HospitalCampbellsville | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 17.3 |
| University of Kentucky HospLexington | 1% cut | 0 of 5 | 27.8 |
| Saint Joseph HospitalLexington | No | 5 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.10 | 25.7 |
| Greenview Regional HospitalBowling Green | No | 4 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.29 | 18.5 |
| Lourdes HospitalPaducah | No | 4 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.18 | 27.3 |
| St Claire Regional Medical CenterMorehead | No | 4 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.11 | 39 |
| Baptist Hospital EastLouisville | No | 3 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.16 | 25.3 |
| Lake Cumberland Regional HospitalSomerset | No | 3 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.10 | 22.9 |
| Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Healthcare HospitMiddlesboro | No | 3 of 3Highest: COPD 1.05 | 21.7 |
| Paintsville Arh HospitalPaintsville | No | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.14 | 41.5 |
| Saint Joseph EastLexington | No | 3 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.39 | 34.8 |
| Saint Joseph LondonLondon | No | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.11 | 45.8 |
| St Elizabeth Ft ThomasFort Thomas | No | 3 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.11 | 43.8 |
| St Elizabeth Med Center-SouthEdgewood | No | 3 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.16 | 34.4 |
| Williamson Arh HospitalSouth Williamson | No | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.18 | 52 |
| Baptist Hospital NortheastLa Grange | No | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.02 | 35.6 |
| Central Baptist HospitalLexington | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.12 | 24.5 |
| Clark Regional Medical CenterWinchester | No | 2 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.05 | 38.1 |
| Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical CenterDanville | No | 2 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | 19.7 |
| Frankfort Regional Medical CenterFrankfort | No | 2 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 34.4 |
| Georgetown Community HospitalGeorgetown | No | 2 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 44 |
| Muhlenberg Community HospitalGreenville | No | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.05 | 52.7 |
| Owensboro Medical Health SystemOwensboro | No | 2 of 5Highest: COPD 1.07 | 15.5 |
| Pineville Community Health Center, INCPineville | No | 2 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.03 | – |
| St Elizabeth FlorenceFlorence | No | 2 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.06 | 22 |
| T J Samson Community HospitalGlasgow | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.03 | 36.1 |
| Twin Lakes Regional Medical CenterLeitchfield | No | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.05 | 27.6 |
| Whitesburg Arh HospitalWhitesburg | No | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.05 | 50.8 |
| Baptist Health Deaconess MadisonvilleMadisonville | No | 1 of 5Highest: COPD 1.01 | 22.2 |
| Baptist Health RichmondRichmond | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.04 | 38.2 |
| Deaconess Henderson HospitalHenderson | No | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.08 | 26.2 |
| Harrison Memorial HospitalCynthiana | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.03 | 38 |
| Jewish Hospital - ShelbyvilleShelbyville | No | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.00 | 31.3 |
| Meadowview Regional Medical CenterMaysville | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.01 | 32.7 |
| The Medical Center at RussellvilleRussellville | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.03 | 33 |
| Three Rivers Medical CenterLouisa | No | 1 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 65 |
| Baptist Regional Medical CtrCorbin | No | 0 of 4 | 31 |
| Bourbon Community HospitalParis | No | 0 of 2 | – |
| Spring View HospitalLebanon | No | 0 of 4 | 68.9 |
| Tj Health ColumbiaColumbia | No | 0 of 1 | – |
Questions
Which Kentucky hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
21 of 59 Kentucky hospitals in the program (36%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Norton Healthcare Pavilion, Pikeville Medical Center, University of Louisville Hospital, Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hospital, Hazard Arh Regional Medical Center, King's Daughters' Medical Center, Monroe County Medical Center, Murray-Calloway County Hospital, Hardin Memorial Hospital, Highlands Regional Medical Center, Jackson Purchase Medical Center, Jewish Hospital and 9 more.
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 Kentucky, 53 of 59 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.