New Hampshire hospital Medicare penalties
Which New Hampshire hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)5 of 1338% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions12 of 13Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs13New Hampshire hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every New Hampshire hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Medical CenterManchester | 1% cut | 3 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.08 | 43.8 |
| Southern Nh Medical CenterNashua | 1% cut | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.18 | 16.8 |
| Elliot HospitalManchester | 1% cut | 2 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.21 | 16.1 |
| Concord Hospital- LaconiaLaconia | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.02 | 37.1 |
| Mary Hitchcock Mem HospitalLebanon | 1% cut | 1 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 29.2 |
| Portsmouth Regional HospitalPortsmouth | No | 4 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.15 | 26.3 |
| Concord HospitalConcord | No | 3 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.08 | 24.5 |
| Frisbie Memorial HospitalRochester | No | 3 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 61.8 |
| Parkland Medical CenterDerry | No | 3 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.04 | 40.4 |
| Exeter HospitalExeter | No | 2 of 5Highest: COPD 1.04 | 35.5 |
| Wentworth-Douglass HospitalDover | No | 2 of 5Highest: Pneumonia 1.12 | 40.9 |
| St Joseph HospitalNashua | No | 1 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.04 | 24.7 |
| Cheshire Medical CenterKeene | No | 0 of 4 | 36.9 |
Questions
Which New Hampshire hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
5 of 13 New Hampshire hospitals in the program (38%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Catholic Medical Center, Southern Nh Medical Center, Elliot Hospital, Concord Hospital- Laconia, Mary Hitchcock Mem 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 New Hampshire, 12 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.