Best Hospitals in Iowa 2026
Iowa has 118 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $13K. The top-rated hospital is Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center in Dubuque with a 5-star CMS rating.
118 Iowa hospitals appear in the CMS Inpatient Payment dataset. Ranked by average payment per documented procedure: Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi is the lowest at $8,588; Eagle View Behavioral Health the highest at $23,512. The gap between the extremes is large enough to matter for any patient with elective scheduling.
These rankings are pure-cost rankings. The quality dimension lives in the CMS Hospital Compare star rating shown alongside each entry; the combined-value grade on the right of the table aggregates both. For patients comparing hospital costs, the ranking is a useful first cut, but the procedure-specific page is the better tool: cost spreads vary by DRG code, and the all-procedure average can hide important per-procedure differences.
Across Iowa's 118 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $13K, below the national average of $16K. 14% ofIowa's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 39% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in Iowa range from Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi at $9K per procedure to Eagle View Behavioral Health at $24K — a difference of $15K on the same kinds of inpatient stays. Where you go for the same procedure can swing the bill by more than the procedure itself.
All numbers come from the latest CMS Hospital Compare release, which uses Medicare claims data and only reflects payments for Medicare inpatient stays — not what private insurers or self-pay patients actually pay. Star ratings combine seven groups of measures including mortality, patient safety, readmissions, and patient experience. Lower-priced hospitals can still earn an A on the Value Score if their quality stays competitive.
Top 3 Hospitals in Iowa
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center
Dubuque, IA
Iowa's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $11K per procedure. Outcome score: 66/100.
Iowa City Va Medical Center
Iowa City, IA
Second-best in Iowa. 5-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 60/100. Average procedure payment: $11K.
St Lukes Hospital
Cedar Rapids, IA
Third on quality + outcomes. 4-star CMS rating; Value Score 84/100. Lists 11 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 118 Hospitals in Iowa
Hospital quality and cost data for Iowa is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center in Dubuque is the top-rated hospital in Iowa with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $11K. Its Value Score is 87/100 (Grade A).
Iowa has 118 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $13K, and 39% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
Iowa's average procedure payment of $13K is below the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $9K at Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi to $24K at Eagle View Behavioral Health — a gap of $15K per procedure.
Of 118 hospitals analyzed in Iowa, 16 (14%) earn a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or better. CMS star ratings combine measures of mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timeliness, and effectiveness of care.
Hospitals are ranked first by CMS star quality rating (1-5 stars), then by outcome score, which reflects mortality rates, patient safety, and readmissions. The Value Score combines price percentile (40%, lower price = higher score), quality rating (40%), and outcome score (20%).
Hospitals ranked by CMS star quality rating and outcome score. Value Score: price percentile (40% inverted), quality rating (40%), outcome score (20%).