North Dakota hospital Medicare penalties
Which North Dakota hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)1 of 714% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions6 of 7Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs7North Dakota hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every North Dakota hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Alexius Medical CenterBismarck | 1% cut | 1 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.01 | 25.1 |
| Essentia Health-FargoFargo | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.08 | 24.2 |
| P H S Indian Hosp at Belcourt-Quentin N BurdickBelcourt | No | 1 of 2Highest: COPD 1.05 | – |
| Sanford Medical Center BismarckBismarck | No | 1 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.07 | 47.1 |
| Sanford Medical Center FargoFargo | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.01 | 31.2 |
| Trinity HospitalsMinot | No | 1 of 5Highest: COPD 1.05 | 38.7 |
| Altru Health SystemGrand Forks | No | 0 of 5 | 11.3 |
Questions
Which North Dakota hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
1 of 7 North Dakota hospitals in the program (14%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: St Alexius 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 North Dakota, 6 of 7 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.