Increasing number of FL hospitals facing Medicare fines for readmissions

Across the Sunshine State, hospitals in record numbers —148 in all— are feeling the sting of millions of dollars in Medicare fines for having too many patients return within a month for additional treatments, federal records released this month show. The average fine levied against Florida hospitals for readmitting patients nearly doubled since last year, from about a quarter of 1 percent of Medicare payments to more than a half of 1 percent, according to data analyzed by Kaiser Health News.