Maine hospital Medicare penalties
Which Maine hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)4 of 1331% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions7 of 13Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs13Maine hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Maine hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Coast Memorial HospitalEllsworth | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | – |
| Mercy HospitalPortland | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 24.5 |
| York HospitalYork | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.03 | 44.9 |
| Northern Light a R Gould HospitalPresque Isle | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 45.5 |
| Cary Medical CenterCaribou | No | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.09 | 42.8 |
| Penobscot Bay Medical CenterRockport | No | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.03 | 48.1 |
| St Joseph HospitalBangor | No | 2 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.17 | 43.7 |
| Mid Coast HospitalBrunswick | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.02 | 41.5 |
| Central Maine Medical CenterLewiston | No | 0 of 5 | 23.3 |
| Eastern Maine Medical CenterBangor | No | 0 of 6 | – |
| Maine General Medical CenterWaterville | No | 0 of 4 | 38.5 |
| Maine Medical CenterPortland | No | 0 of 6 | 17.8 |
| St Marys Regional Medical CenterLewiston | No | 0 of 2 | 42.3 |
Questions
Which Maine hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
4 of 13 Maine hospitals in the program (31%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospital, York Hospital, Northern Light a R Gould 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 Maine, 7 of 13 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.