Vermont hospital Medicare penalties
Which Vermont 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 667% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions5 of 6Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs6Vermont hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Vermont hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Vermont Medical CenterGraniteville-East Barre | 1% cut | 4 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.13 | 48.6 |
| Rutland Regional Medical CenterRutland | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 35.3 |
| Fletcher Allen Hospital of VermontBurlington | 1% cut | 1 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 31.2 |
| Northwestern Medical CenterSt Albans | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.00 | 50.1 |
| Southwestern Vermont Medical CenterBennington | No | 1 of 4Highest: COPD 1.03 | 33.6 |
| Brattleboro Memorial HospitalBrattleboro | No | 0 of 4 | 33.1 |
Questions
Which Vermont hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
4 of 6 Vermont hospitals in the program (67%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Central Vermont Medical Center, Rutland Regional Medical Center, Fletcher Allen Hospital of Vermont, Northwestern 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 Vermont, 5 of 6 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.