Two-Thirds Of Hospitals Will Be Hit By Medicare Readmission Penalties In October 2013

Starting October 1, 2013, 2,225 of the nation's 5,700 hospitals will receive payment reductions totaling $227 million due to excessive readmissions for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries admitted for heart failure, heart attack, and pneumonia. The total amount of penalties is 18.9% lower than the $280 million in penalties recouped during the first round of reductions.

For the second round, 18 hospitals with the highest readmission rates will be penalized with a two-percent payment reduction. Another 154 hospitals will lose reimbursements of between one and two percent. During the first round, about two-thirds of . . .