Nebraska hospital Medicare penalties
Which Nebraska hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)6 of 2524% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions15 of 22Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs25Nebraska hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Nebraska hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Island Regional Medical CenterGrand Island | 1% cut | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.08 | 28.4 |
| Faith Regional Health ServicesNorfolk | 1% cut | 2 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.07 | 34 |
| Fremont Area Medical CenterFremont | 1% cut | 2 of 5Highest: COPD 1.08 | 29.5 |
| Nebraska Heart Hospital, LLCLincoln | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 35.9 |
| Nebraska Spine Hospital, LLCOmaha | 1% cut | – | – |
| The Nebraska Methodist HospitalOmaha | 1% cut | 0 of 6 | 34.3 |
| Bellevue Medical CenterBellevue | No | 5 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 42.3 |
| Good Samaritan HospitalKearney | No | 3 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 35 |
| Great Plains Regional Medical CenterNorth Platte | No | 3 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.09 | 21.1 |
| Alegent Health Immanuel Medical CenterOmaha | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.05 | 27.5 |
| Bryan Medical CenterLincoln | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.20 | 16.8 |
| Kearney Regional Medical CenterKearney | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 32.4 |
| Regional West Medical CenterScottsbluff | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.07 | 19.8 |
| Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical CenterLincoln | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 28 |
| The Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha | No | 2 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.05 | – |
| Alegent Health Lakeside HospitalOmaha | No | 1 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.05 | 25.2 |
| Columbus Community HospitalColumbus | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 19.1 |
| St Francis Medical CenterGrand Island | No | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.02 | 26.5 |
| Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical CenterOmaha | No | 0 of 5 | 24.2 |
| Alegent Health Midlands HospitalPapillion | No | 0 of 2 | 55.3 |
| Lincoln Surgical HospitalLincoln | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Mary Lanning Memorial HospitalHastings | No | 0 of 4 | 36.2 |
| Midwest Surgical Hospital LLCOmaha | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Nebraska Orthopaedic HospitalOmaha | No | – | – |
| Twelve Clans Unity HospitalWinnebago | No | – | – |
Questions
Which Nebraska hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
6 of 25 Nebraska hospitals in the program (24%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Grand Island Regional Medical Center, Faith Regional Health Services, Fremont Area Medical Center, Nebraska Heart Hospital, LLC, Nebraska Spine Hospital, LLC, The Nebraska Methodist 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 Nebraska, 15 of 22 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.