Wisconsin hospital Medicare penalties
Which Wisconsin hospitals Medicare is penalizing for infections and patient-safety problems in fiscal year 2026, and which had more readmissions than expected.
Safety penalty (HAC)16 of 6425% · U.S. 24%
Excess readmissions43 of 63Above expected on 1+ condition
In the programs64Wisconsin hospitals
Fiscal year2026Penalty year
Every Wisconsin hospital in the programs
Penalized hospitals first. Click a column to sort.
| Hospital | HAC penalty | Readmissions above expected | VBP score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Froedtert SouthKenosha | 1% cut | 4 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.05 | 25.6 |
| Marshfield Medical CenterMarshfield | 1% cut | 4 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.17 | 21.4 |
| Aurora Baycare Med CtrGreen Bay | 1% cut | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.22 | 40.3 |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical CenterMilwaukee | 1% cut | 2 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.14 | 33.4 |
| Aurora West Allis Medical CenterWest Allis | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.15 | 35 |
| Bay Area Med CtrMarinette | 1% cut | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.14 | 47.5 |
| St Clare's Hospital of Weston INCWeston | 1% cut | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 43 |
| Aspirus Riverview Hospital & ClinicsWisconsin Rapids | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.06 | 39.2 |
| Aurora Med Ctr OshkoshOshkosh | 1% cut | 1 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.00 | 53.9 |
| Aurora Memorial Hsptl BurlingtonBurlington | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.00 | 50.3 |
| Bellin Memorial HsptlGreen Bay | 1% cut | 1 of 5Highest: COPD 1.02 | 40.3 |
| SSM Health St Mary's Hospital - JanesvilleJanesville | 1% cut | 1 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 39.5 |
| Aspirus Rhinelander HospitalRhinelander | 1% cut | 0 of 3 | 40.4 |
| Aurora Med Ctr KenoshaKenosha | 1% cut | 0 of 4 | 34 |
| Mile Bluff Medical Center, INCMauston | 1% cut | 0 of 2 | 58 |
| St Clare Hsptl Hlth SvcsBaraboo | 1% cut | 0 of 2 | 55.8 |
| Aurora Medical CenterGrafton | No | 4 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.10 | 65 |
| Froedtert Mem Lutheran HsptlMilwaukee | No | 4 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.16 | 40.3 |
| Mercy Hlth Sys CorpJanesville | No | 4 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.08 | 33.2 |
| Aurora Medical CenterSummit | No | 3 of 4Highest: COPD 1.03 | 46.3 |
| Community Mem HsptlMenomonee Falls | No | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.16 | 43.9 |
| St Agnes HsptlFond du Lac | No | 3 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.05 | 57.2 |
| UW Hlth Partners - Watertown Regional Medical CtrWatertown | No | 3 of 5Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.19 | 43.3 |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- All SaintsRacine | No | 3 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | – |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin HospitalMilwaukee | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.09 | – |
| Aurora Sheboygan Mem Med CtrSheboygan | No | 2 of 3Highest: Heart failure 1.06 | 65.5 |
| Beloit Mem HsptlBeloit | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.05 | 38.3 |
| Columbia St Marys Hsptl Milw (Col & Milw Campus)Milwaukee | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart bypass surgery 1.07 | – |
| Luther Hospital Mayo Health SystemEau Claire | No | 2 of 6Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.14 | 42.6 |
| Marshfield Medical Center - Rice LakeRice Lake | No | 2 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.08 | 46.5 |
| Meriter HsptlMadison | No | 2 of 4Highest: Pneumonia 1.05 | 46.2 |
| Oconomowoc Mem HsptlOconomowoc | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 34 |
| Waukesha Memorial HospitalWaukesha | No | 2 of 5Highest: Heart attack 1.03 | 30.1 |
| Aurora Lakeland Med CtrElkhorn | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.02 | 52.5 |
| Aurora Med Center-Washington CountyHartford | No | 1 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.00 | 67.2 |
| Aurora Med Ctr Manitowoc CtyTwo Rivers | No | 1 of 3Highest: COPD 1.01 | 61.5 |
| Beaver Dam Com HsptlBeaver Dam | No | 1 of 2Highest: Heart failure 1.02 | 40.5 |
| Holy Family Memorial INCManitowoc | No | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | 47.8 |
| Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, LLCFranklin | No | 1 of 1Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.26 | – |
| Monroe ClinicMonroe | No | 1 of 4Highest: Heart failure 1.01 | 54.6 |
| St Elizabeth HsptlAppleton | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart attack 1.05 | – |
| St Josephs Com Hsptl West BendWest Bend | No | 1 of 4Highest: Hip or knee replacement 1.12 | 38.5 |
| St Mary's HospitalMadison | No | 1 of 6Highest: Pneumonia 1.00 | 34.2 |
| St Nicholas HospitalSheboygan | No | 1 of 2Highest: Pneumonia 1.01 | 40.5 |
| Thedacare Regional Med Ctr - NeenahNeenah | No | 1 of 3Highest: Heart attack 1.02 | 35 |
| University of Wi Hospitals & Clinics AuthorityMadison | No | 1 of 6Highest: Heart failure 1.07 | 39.3 |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare- St FrancisMilwaukee | No | 1 of 3Highest: Pneumonia 1.04 | – |
| Appleton Med CtrAppleton | No | 0 of 6 | 39.7 |
| Ascension Wisconsin Hosp Menomonee Falls CampusMenomonee Falls | No | – | – |
| Aspirus Wausau HospitalWausau | No | 0 of 6 | 32.3 |
| Divine Savior HlthcarePortage | No | 0 of 3 | 62.3 |
| Fort HealthcareFort Atkinson | No | 0 of 3 | 42.3 |
| Froedtert Community HospitalNew Berlin | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Gundersen Luth Med CtrLa Crosse | No | 0 of 5 | 28.5 |
| Howard Young Med CtrWoodruff | No | 0 of 3 | 46.8 |
| Marshfield Medical Center - Eau ClaireEau Claire | No | 0 of 4 | 28.5 |
| Marshfield Medical Center - MinocquaMinocqua | No | 0 of 2 | 52.8 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical CenterLa Crosse | No | 0 of 4 | 57.6 |
| Ministry St Michaels Hospital of Stevens PointStevens Point | No | 0 of 3 | 45.5 |
| Oakleaf Surgical HospitalEau Claire | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Orthopaedic Hsptl of WiGlendale | No | 0 of 1 | – |
| Sauk Prairie Mem HsptlPrairie du Sac | No | 0 of 3 | 66.3 |
| St Marys Hsptl Med CtrGreen Bay | No | 0 of 4 | 22 |
| St Vincent HsptlGreen Bay | No | 0 of 5 | 27.2 |
Questions
Which Wisconsin hospitals does Medicare penalize for patient safety?
16 of 64 Wisconsin hospitals in the program (25%, vs 24% nationally) have their Medicare payments cut 1% in fiscal year 2026: Froedtert South, Marshfield Medical Center, Aurora Baycare Med Ctr, Aurora St Lukes Medical Center, Aurora West Allis Medical Center, Bay Area Med Ctr, St Clare's Hospital of Weston INC, Aspirus Riverview Hospital & Clinics, Aurora Med Ctr Oshkosh, Aurora Memorial Hsptl Burlington, Bellin Memorial Hsptl, SSM Health St Mary's Hospital - Janesville and 4 more.
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 Wisconsin, 43 of 63 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.