Medicare fines 2,610 hospitals in third round of readmission penalties

Medicare is fining a record number of hospitals – 2,610 – for having too many patients return within a month for additional treatments, federal records released Wednesday show. Even though the nation's readmission rate is dropping, Medicare's average fines will be higher, with 39 hospitals receiving the largest penalty allowed, including the nation's oldest hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. The federal government's penalties, which begin their third year this month, are intended to jolt hospitals to pay attention to what happens to their patients after they leave.