Regional Health Services of Howard County

235 8th Avenue West, Cresco, IA 52136 · (563) 547-2101

Rural (critical access) hospitalGovernment - LocalEmergency room

Regional Health Services of Howard County is a government-owned rural critical-access hospital in Cresco, Iowa (Howard County), with 18 beds. It has an emergency room and holds 4 of 5 stars in CMS's overall quality rating. It lists $2.13 for every $1 its care costs, less than the typical Iowa hospital ($3.72).

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★★★★★CMS overall quality rating

$2.13listed for every $1 its care costs Iowa typical $3.72

1 h 31 mintypical ER visit US typical 2 h 28 min

18beds

Quality and patient experience

What patients say

67%would definitely recommend the hospital US typical 71%

72%rated the hospital 9 or 10 out of 10 US typical 72%

Rated by patients

Emergency room and urgent care

1 h 31 mintypical time in the ER before going home US typical 2 h 28 min

0%left the ER without being seen US typical 1%

ER volume: low.

Deaths within 30 days of admission lower is better

Heart failure

12.8%

Back in the hospital within 30 days lower is better

Heart failure

21.1%

US typical hospital. Infection figures are a ratio: 1.00 means as many infections as expected for a hospital like this one. CMS adjusts these rates for how sick the patients are; a small gap from the typical hospital can be chance, so a verdict is shown only where CMS gives one.

Source: CMS Care Compare, measurement periods ending up to September 2025.

The money

$47what care cost the hospital for every $100 it billed

$5.9Mnet income, all sources

−17.1%margin on patient care alone

$37,771cost of charity care (0.1% of costs)

$1.3Munpaid bills written off (bad debt)

147full-time staff (equivalent)

From the hospital's Medicare cost report for the year ending June 2025.

Cash and insurer prices for this hospital haven't been added yet. The hospital publishes them on its own price page.

This hospital has no Medicare stay data for 2024. Medicare data covers mostly patients 65 and older, so psychiatric, children's and very small hospitals often don't appear.

Nearby hospitals

18 miles awayWinnmedDecorah, IA★★★★★$2.27 listed per $1 of cost 24 miles awayMercy Medical Center-New HamptonNew Hampton, IANot rated$2.06 listed per $1 of cost 33 miles awayGundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital and ClinicsWest Union, IA★★★★★$1.31 listed per $1 of cost 33 miles awayVeterans Memorial HospitalWaukon, IANot rated$1.83 listed per $1 of cost 35 miles awayMitchell County Regional HealthOsage, IA★★★★★$2.11 listed per $1 of cost

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