Hospitals in nearly every state* faced fines, but some states had a lower percentage of hospitals penalized than others. The 10 states listed below had the lowest percentage of hospitals fined by Medicare for high HAC rates.
1. Hawaii — None of Hawaii’s 13 hospitals were fined
2. Vermont — None of Vermont’s 7 hospitals were fined
3. Iowa — 7.5 percent (3 hospitals)
4. North Dakota — 9.1 percent (1 hospital)
5. Louisiana — 9.5 percent (11 hospitals)
6. Texas — 11 percent (43 hospitals)
7. Alabama — 11.8 percent (11 hospitals)
8. Oklahoma — 11.8 percent (12 hospitals)
9. Tennessee — 11.8 percent (14 hospitals)
10. Kentucky — 12.8 percent (10 hospitals)
*Hospitals in Maryland were exempt from the fines due to the state’s special payment arrangement with the federal government.
Editor’s note: Percentages were calculated using the number of hospitals fined by Medicare and the number of hospitals in each state, according to the American Hospital Directory.
