Reading Hospital
An acute care hospital in West Reading, Pennsylvania 19611
420 S 5th Avenue, West Reading, Pennsylvania 19611. (610) 988-8000.
- Medicare payments cut under the HAC Reduction Program (fiscal year 2026)
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 20, 2026.
- 4of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 3of 5 patient survey rating
- 2 deficiencies cited in the last three years (needs attention)
- 744 beds
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean4
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
- Condition-level deficiency
- For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual.
What did inspectors find?
The last inspection on record was on Nov 22, 2024: a complaint inspection.
2 deficiencies cited in the last three years, 1 of them at condition level, the most serious.
1 deficiency at condition level, the more serious of CMS’s two levels
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those deficiencies happened
2 deficiencies in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Nov 2024. Most serious: Condition-level. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Nov 22, 2024: complaint inspection2 deficiencies
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Surgical Services
The inspectors’ words, 254 words
“SURGICAL SERVICES CFR(s): 482.51 If the hospital provides surgical services, the services must be well organized and provided in accordance with acceptable standards of practice. If outpatient surgical services are offered the services must be consistent in quality with inpatient care in accordance with the complexity of services offered. This Condition is not met as evidenced by: 45721 The information reviewed during the unannounced complaint investigation survey on November 22, 2024, provided evidence that the facility failed to substantially comply with this Condition of Participation by failing to provide well organized surgical services in accordance with acceptable standards of practice. During a surgical procedure five surgical sponges were retained inside the patient. The patient returned to the emergency room, at which time, they took them back to the operating room and found the sponges. The patient died and the cause of death was determined to be sepsis from the retained foreign objects. A discussion took place with the survey team and the facility’s administrative staff regarding the survey team’s concerns related to Surgical Services on November 22, 2024, at 11:00 AM. The Immediate Jeopardy was called at 11:30 AM on November 22, 2024. The facility submitted an acceptable Immediate Jeopardy Removal Plan at 3:23 PM on November 22, 2024 The Immediate Jeopardy was removed on-site on November 22, 2024, Condition of Participation non-compliance remains. The surveyor validated the Immediate Jeopardy Removal Plan was substantially implemented by education documentation, policy and procedure review, interviews and reviewing audit template. Cross reference §482.51 (b) Operating Room Policies”
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Operating Room Policies
The inspectors’ words, 731 words
“OPERATING ROOM POLICIES CFR(s): 482.51(b) Surgical services must be consistent with needs and resources. Policies governing surgical care must be designed to assure the achievement and maintenance of high standards of medical practice and patient care. This Standard is not met as evidenced by: 42111 Based on a review of facility documents, medical records (MR), and staff interviews (EMP), it was determined that the facility failed to ensure high standards of medical practice in surgical services by failing to follow policy to prevent retained surgical sponges after surgery for one of one medical record reviewed (MR1). Findings include: On November 22, 2024, review of facility Policy Title: Surgical/Procedural Count with a last revision date of May 2024, revealed “ PURPOSE: To provide guidance to perioperative/procedural personnel for preventing retained surgical items (RSIs) during operative or other invasive procedures. ... POLICY: I. When to count: A. All counts are performed between the registered nurse (RN) circulator and the scrub person B. Initial Counts i. Should be performed prior to incision to establish a baseline by the RN circulator and the scrub person. ii. Baseline instrument counts will be performed for all planned or potential intrathoracic or intra-abdominal operations ... C. When new items are added to the surgical field in the number in which the item is packaged i. Example - 4x4s are counted by 10s, Lap sponges are counted by 5s D. Before the closure of a cavity within a cavity - sponges and sharps are to be counted. ... PROCEDURE: I. Who counts - RN circulator and the scrub person II. How to count - A. Item counts should be performed in the same sequence each time. i. Counting sequence begins at the surgical site, proceeding to the mayo stand, back table and finally items discarded from the surgical field. B. Items should be counted audibly and concurrently viewed during the counting process by the RN circulator and scrub person III. Linen and trash should be not removed from the operating room until the completion of the procedure and patients leaves the operating/procedural room. IV. Sponges A. Prep sponges ... ii. The RN circulator is responsible to confirm that all prep sponges are secured following the patient prep and are not removed from the operating/procedural room until case competition B. Remove band around sponges, separate and count sponges at initial count and as they are added to the surgical field ... F. Sponges that are placed in the operative site during the procedure should be denoted on the paper count sheet and announced when they are removed from the operative site. i. Sponges that were “ in “ during a count should be confirmed as removed from the operative site on subsequent counts. ... VIII. General Information A. Integrity of the surgical counts are documented in the patient ’ s intraoperative record. B. Documentation of counts are to include: i. Type of counts performed - sponges, sharps, instruments, small items, etc. ii. The number of counts performed. iii. Names and titles of the RN circulator and the scrub person performing the counts. a. Two individuals who are simultaneously on orientation should not count together. ... On November 22, 2024, review of MR1 revealed a patient with an admitting diagnosis of Malignant neoplasm of head of pancreas (cancerous tumor) had a Whipple Procedure (operation to treat tumors in the pancreas) completed on September 19, 2024. The review of the surgical sponge count from the Whipple procedure showed the count was correct at the end of the procedure. The patient was readmitted to the facility on October 15, 2024, due to abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed 5 foreign bodies within the abdomen consistent with lap pads (sponges). Patient was taken to the operating room for removal of the foreign bodies. While in the operating room patient suffered cardiac arrest and CPR was performed. Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved and temporary abdominal closure was placed. Before leaving the operating room patient suffered additional cardiac arrest and spontaneous circulation was not able to be achieved. Death was pronounced and the coroner was contacted. Further review of MR1 revealed the death certificate listed cause of death to be sepsis, Gossypiboma (retained foreign object from surgical procedure), Complication of Whipple Procedure. On November 22, 2024, at approximately 2:35 P.M. an interview with EMP1 confirmed sponges were retained in the patient during the Whipple procedure.”
All 2 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 2024 | Complaint inspection | 2 deficiencies cited |
| Mar 18, 2024 | Complaint inspection | No deficiencies cited |
How do patients fare?
- CMS’s overall CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System. for it is 4 of 5.
- Of the measures behind its CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System., CMS counts against the national value: mortality, 3 better and 0 worse of 8; safety of care, 1 better and 1 worse of 8; readmission, 0 better and 2 worse of 11.
- Patients rate it 3 of 5 in CMS’s patient survey (445 surveys completed, Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): 67% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 64% would definitely recommend it.
- Infections, compared by CMS with the national benchmark (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025): central line bloodstream infections (CLABSI), better than the national benchmark; catheter urinary tract infections (CAUTI), no different than national benchmark; surgical site infections after colon surgery, no different than national benchmark; surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy, worse than the national benchmark; MRSA bloodstream infections, no different than national benchmark; C. diff infections, better than the national benchmark.
- CMS’s patient safety composite for serious complications, PSI 90, Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2024: no different than the national value.
- Deaths within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2022 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 10.3%, heart failure 8.5%, pneumonia 12.4%, COPD 8.5%, stroke 10%, heart bypass surgery 2%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- Readmissions within 30 days, as CMS gives them (Jul 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2025): heart attack 16.1%, heart failure 24.1%, pneumonia 17.3%, COPD 22.7%, heart bypass surgery 14%, hip or knee replacement 5.3%. CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for them in this release.
- After outpatient care, compared by CMS: unplanned hospital visits after a colonoscopy, no different than the national rate; hospital admissions after outpatient chemotherapy, worse than the national rate; emergency visits after outpatient chemotherapy, no different than the national rate; unplanned hospital visits after outpatient surgery, no different than expected.
- Emergency department patients spent a median of 230 minutes there before leaving (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025), and 2% left before being seen.
- 53% of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock got the care CMS measures, SEP-1 (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025).
- Medicare’s spending per patient here is 1.02 times the national median (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024).
CMS, Hospital General Information, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Complications and Deaths - Hospital and Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital. Released Sep 30, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall ratingCMS’s overall hospital quality star rating, 1 to 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Patient survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of the hospital’s patients (HCAHPS), 1 to 5 | 3 of 5 |
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Medicare-certified acute care hospital since Jul 1, 1966.
- Ownership: voluntary non-profit - private.
- It is accredited by The Joint Commission, whose surveys stand in for the state’s routine inspections.
- Cited at For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. in the last three years: it didn’t meet a whole condition of Medicare’s rules for hospitals.
- It has an inpatient rehabilitation unit of 61 beds, which CMS lists apart as a rehabilitation facility.
- Voluntary non-profit - Private.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been penalized?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals.
- CMS cut its Medicare payments by 1% for fiscal year 2026 under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, which does so for the quarter of hospitals that fare worst on conditions patients get in hospital.
- 2 deficiencies cited in the last three years came from inspections that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated yearly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | What | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare payment reduction (HAC Reduction Program) | Fiscal year 2026: 1% of Medicare payments |
What do patients say about their care?
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In CMS’s patient survey, patients rate how well its nurses communicated 3 of 5.
- 93% of its health care workers got a flu shot (Oct 1, 2024 to Mar 31, 2025).
CMS, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital and Timely and Effective Care - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who owns it?
- 17 owners or officers are people: Charles Barbera (other role (CMS gives no detail)); John Paul Weidenhammer (corporate director); Benjamin Zintak (corporate director); Charles Michael Valentino (managing employee (on the payroll)); Suzanne Wenderoth (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Joshua G Tice (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Jacquelyn Fetrow (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Brian Rayme (corporate officer); Brian Rayme (corporate director); Brian Rayme (managing employee (on the payroll)); Brian Rayme (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Olubunmi K Ojikutu (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Susan Looney (other role (CMS gives no detail)); John D Casey (corporate director); Latrice Mumin (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Daniel Langdon (other role (CMS gives no detail)); Yamil Sanchez (other role (CMS gives no detail)).
- CMS’s Provider of Services file records 1 change of ownership.
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, Hospital All Owners and Hospital Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 6 hospitals CMS lists in Berks County, 2 have an overall star rating from CMS: 1 rated 4 of 5, 1 rated 3 of 5.
- CMS rates this one 4 of 5.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Place | Overall star rating |
|---|---|
| Penn State Health St. Joseph | 3 |
| Surgical Institute of Reading | Not given |
| Wernersville State Hospital | Not given |
| Haven Behavioral Hospital of Eastern Pennsylvania | Not given |
| Tower Behavioral Health | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals, so none are shown. The one payment cut CMS publishes for each hospital, under its Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, is shown where it applies.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- Most hospitals are accredited by a private organisation (The Joint Commission, DNV and others) whose routine inspections stand in for the state’s; those reports aren’t public, and QCOR holds only the state’s surveys: no inspection on record here doesn’t mean none took place.
- QCOR says its hospital inspection data are complete only through September 17, 2026, while it moves to a new system.
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- In its September 2026 release CMS gives no comparison with the national rate for death and readmission rates, though it gives the rates.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information (xubh-q36u).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital.
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital (77hc-ibv8).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Complications and Deaths - Hospital (ynj2-r877).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital (632h-zaca).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital (yv7e-xc69).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital (rrqw-56er).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program (yq43-i98g).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated yearly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities (Hospital_and_other.DATA.Q3_2026.csv).
Released Oct 14, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies (Hospital_2567s_2010_to_2026YTD.xlsx).
Released Oct 20, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital All Owners (Hospital_All_Owners_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital Enrollments (Hospital_Enrollments_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the hospital
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospital adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospital will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospital”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.