US Health Care Costs

Sanford Sheldon Medical Center

118 North Seventh Avenue, Po Box 250, Sheldon, IA 51201 · (712) 324-5041

Rural (critical access) hospitalVoluntary non-profit - PrivateEmergency room

Sanford Sheldon Medical Center is a non-profit rural critical-access hospital in Sheldon, Iowa (Obrien County), with 25 beds. It has an emergency room. It lists $2.29 for every $1 its care costs, less than the typical Iowa hospital ($3.72).

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Not ratedCMS overall quality rating
$2.29listed for every $1 its care costs Iowa typical $3.72
2 h 3 mintypical ER visit US typical 2 h 28 min
25beds

Quality and patient experience

What patients say

72%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

    2 h 3 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
    Pneumonia
    16.7%
    Back in the hospital within 30 days lower is better
    Pneumonia
    17.8%

    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

    $44what care cost the hospital for every $100 it billed
    $9.2Mnet income, all sources
    15.1%margin on patient care alone
    $1.7Mcost of charity care (4.8% of costs)
    $2.3Munpaid bills written off (bad debt)
    121full-time staff (equivalent)

    From the hospital's Medicare cost report for the year ending December 2024. Non-profit hospitals must have a financial assistance (charity care) policy; ask for it if a bill is hard to pay.

    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

    16 miles awayOsceola Community HospitalSibley, IANot rated$2.35 listed per $1 of cost17 miles awayOrange City Area Health SystemOrange City, IA★★★★★$1.54 listed per $1 of cost18 miles awaySioux Center HealthSioux Center, IANot rated$1.88 listed per $1 of cost22 miles awayHegg Memorial Health CenterRock Valley, IANot rated$1.27 listed per $1 of cost23 miles awayAvera Merrill Pioneer HospitalRock Rapids, IANot rated$1.68 listed per $1 of cost

    Compare with the two closest