Minnesota hospital Medicare penalties
Which Minnesota hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)10 of 4522% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions30 of 43Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs45Minnesota hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Minnesota hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Memorial Medical CenterRobbinsdale | 1% cut | 4 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.15 | 25.4 |
| Allina Health Faribault Medical CenterFaribault | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 40 |
| Hutchinson Area Health CareHutchinson | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 44.3 |
| Olmsted Medical CenterRochester | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.07 | 46.4 |
| Rice Memorial HospitalWillmar | 1% cut | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.05 | 46.8 |
| St Francis Regional Medical CenterShakopee | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.03 | 34.6 |
| Northfield HospitalNorthfield | 1% cut | 0 of 2 | 55.8 |
| Owatonna HospitalOwatonna | 1% cut | 0 of 4 | 44.4 |
| Sanford Bemidji Medical CenterBemidji | 1% cut | 0 of 4 | 37.1 |
| Sanford Worthington Medical CenterWorthington | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 43.3 |
| Park Nicollet Methodist HospitalSaint Louis Park | No | 6 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.25 | 39.3 |
| United HospitalSt Paul | No | 4 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.23 | 20.4 |
| Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical CenterBrainerd | No | 3 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 54.5 |
| Mercy HospitalCoon Rapids | No | 3 of 6Highest: COPD 1.07 | – |
| Regions HospitalSt Paul | No | 3 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.16 | – |
| Alomere HealthAlexandria | No | 2 of 4Highest: COPD 1.02 | 42.2 |
| Essentia Health St Mary's Medical CenterDuluth | No | 2 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 37.4 |
| Fairview Lakes Health ServicesWyoming | No | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.09 | 34.1 |
| Lakeview Memorial HospitalStillwater | No | 2 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.04 | 50.5 |
| Ridgeview Medical CenterWaconia | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 60.1 |
| St Marys Regional Health CenterDetroit Lakes | No | 2 of 3Highest: COPD 1.00 | 46.1 |
| Cambridge Medical CenterCambridge | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 42.5 |
| Fairview Northland Regional HospitalPrinceton | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 46.5 |
| Fairview Red Wing HospitalRed Wing | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.00 | 59.3 |
| Fairview Ridges HospitalBurnsville | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart attack 1.06 | 31.5 |
| Fairview Southdale HospitalEdina | No | 1 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.09 | 42.3 |
| Healtheast Woodwinds HospitalWoodbury | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 40.1 |
| Hennepin County Medical CenterMinneapolis | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.04 | 27.3 |
| Itasca Medical CenterGrand Rapids | No | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 65.8 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and AustinAlbert Lea | No | 1 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.15 | 52.2 |
| St Cloud HospitalSt Cloud | No | 1 of 6Highest: COPD 1.03 | 34.5 |
| St John's HospitalSt Paul | No | 1 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.03 | 36.2 |
| University of Minnesota Medical Center, FairviewMinneapolis | No | 1 of 6Highest: COPD 1.03 | – |
| Virginia Regional Medical CenterVirginia | No | 1 of 1Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 58.9 |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital INCMinneapolis | No | 0 of 6 | 26.8 |
| Buffalo HospitalBuffalo | No | 0 of 3 | 48.9 |
| Essentia Health DuluthDuluth | No | – | – |
| Fairmont Medical CenterFairmont | No | 0 of 3 | 77.8 |
| Maple Grove HospitalMaple Grove | No | 0 of 4 | 60 |
| Mayo Clinic - Saint Marys HospitalRochester | No | 0 of 6 | 57.1 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System - MankatoMankato | No | 0 of 5 | 42.2 |
| Range Regional Health ServicesHibbing | No | 0 of 2 | 43.8 |
| Red Lake HospitalRed Lake | No | – | – |
| St Lukes HospitalDuluth | No | 0 of 6 | 21.5 |
| Winona Health ServicesWinona | No | 0 of 2 | 33.5 |
Questions
Which Minnesota hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
10 of 45 Minnesota hospitals in the program (22%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: North Memorial Medical Center, Allina Health Faribault Medical Center, Hutchinson Area Health Care, Olmsted Medical Center, Rice Memorial Hospital, St Francis Regional Medical Center, Northfield Hospital, Owatonna Hospital, Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, Sanford Worthington Medical Center.
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 Minnesota, 30 of 43 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.