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.

Top 20 of 118 Hospitals in Iowa

#	Hospital	City	Quality	Avg Payment	Value
1	Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center	Dubuque	★★★★★	$11K	A
2	Iowa City Va Medical Center	Iowa City	★★★★★	$11K	A
3	St Lukes Hospital	Cedar Rapids	★★★★☆	$10K	A
4	Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center	Waterloo	★★★★☆	$15K	B
5	Clarinda Regional Health Center	Clarinda	★★★★☆	$14K	B
6	Grinnell Regional Medical Center	Grinnell	★★★★☆	$13K	B
7	Pella Regional Health Center	Pella	★★★★☆	$13K	B
8	Mary Greeley Medical Center	Ames	★★★★☆	$12K	B
9	Greater Regional Medical Center	Creston	★★★★☆	$12K	B
10	Myrtue Medical Center	Harlan	★★★★☆	$12K	B
11	Cass County Memorial Hospital	Atlantic	★★★★☆	$12K	B
12	Va Central Iowa Healthcare System	Des Moines	★★★★☆	$11K	B
13	Spencer Municipal Hospital	Spencer	★★★★☆	$11K	B
14	Finley Hospital	Dubuque	★★★★☆	$11K	B
15	Mercyone Clinton Medical Center	Clinton	★★★★☆	$15K	B
16	Methodist Jennie Edmundson	Council Bluffs	★★★★☆	$12K	B
17	Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi	Des Moines	★★★☆☆	$9K	B
18	University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics	Iowa City	★★★☆☆	$11K	B
19	Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center	Mason City	★★★☆☆	$11K	B
20	Chi Health Mercy Council Bluffs	Council Bluffs	★★★☆☆	$12K	B

Hospital quality and cost data for Iowa is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
— CMS Hospital Compare (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on CMS quality ratings and outcome scores, Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center in Dubuque is the top-rated hospital in Iowa with a 5-star quality rating and an average procedure payment of $11K.

Iowa has 118 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $13K.

Hospitals are ranked by CMS star quality rating (1-5 stars) and then by outcome score, which reflects mortality rates and patient safety. The Value Score also factors in cost — so the best hospitals deliver great outcomes at reasonable prices.

Sources: CMS Hospital Compare

Last updated: April 2026

Hospitals ranked by CMS star quality rating and outcome score. Value Score: price percentile (40% inverted), quality rating (40%), outcome score (20%).

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