Meriter Hospital Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
MERITER HOSPITAL, INC. IS DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
- Income
- $643.3 million
- Spending
- $620.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 10.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 97%
- Employees
- 4,121
- Volunteers
- 505
- Highest pay
- $707,912, board member & president /ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 84% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.1 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 21% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 13 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $534.6 million spent. MERITER HOSPITAL, INC. IS A 448-BED COMMUNITY HOSPITAL FOCUSED ON DELIVERING QUALITY CARE AND PATIENT SAFETY. MERITER PROVIDES SOLUTIONS TO MANY COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE NEEDS, AND PROVIDES THE REGION'S ONLY AVAILABLE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY SERVICES, AND SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER SERVICES. MERITER IS PROUD TO DELIVER MORE BABIES THAN ANY OTHER HOSPITAL IN WISCONSIN AND RECEIVED NUMEROUS AWARDS:-PAGEEN SMALL, CLINICAL ETHICIST WAS RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THE BIOETHICS TODAY BLOG "YOU NEED MORE FRIENDS": MAKING SPACE FOR LATINE DIVERSITY IN BIOETHICS (BIOETHICSTODAY.ORG). -UNITYPOINT HEALTH MERITER WAS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED WITH THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION'S "GET WITH THE GUIDELINES - STROKE AND RECEIVED THE STROKE GOLD PLUS QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO ENSURING STROKE PATIENTS RECEIVE THE MOST APPROPRIATE TREATMENT ACCORDING TO NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, RESEARCH-BASED GUIDELINES, ULTIMATELY LEADING TO MORE LIVES SAVED AND REDUCED DISABILITY. -MERITER WAS ALSO NAMED TO THE TARGET: TYPE 2 DIABETES HONOR ROLL. TARGET: TYPE 2 DIABETES AIMS TO ENSURE PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, WHO MIGHT BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR COMPLICATIONS, RECEIVE THE MOST UP-TO-DATE, EVIDENCE-BASED CARE WHEN HOSPITALIZED DUE TO STROKE. TARGET: HEART FAILURE DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE, MEANING REDUCED READMISSIONS AND MORE HEALTHY DAYS AT HOME.-UNITYPOINT MERITER HAS EARNED THE AWARD OF HOPE BRONZE FOR ORGAN DONATION PERFORMANCE AND A TISSUE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR TISSUE PERFORMANCE IN 2024! -LIONS EYE BANK OF WISCONSIN: UNITYPOINT HEALTH MERITER ACHIEVED A 46.7% CONVERSION RATE; EXCEEDING, NOT ONLY THE EYE BANK'S GOAL OF 30.0% BUT THEIR STRETCH GOAL OF 40.0%! -MERITER WAS NAMED ONE OF BECKER'S HOSPITAL REVIEW'S 100 GREAT COMMUNITY HOSPITALS! IT RECOGNIZES LOCAL AND RURAL HOSPITALS FOR THEIR CRUCIAL ROLE IN KEEPING COMMUNITIES HEALTHY. -MERITER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT AS A 'HIGH PERFORMING' 2025 BEST HOSPITAL FOR MATERNITY CARE. U.S. A HIGH PERFORMING RATING INDICATES EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE ON A RANGE OF OBJECTIVE QUALITY MEASURES, SUCH AS RATES OF UNEXPECTED COMPLICATIONS AND C-SECTIONS. OF THE RECORD 817 HOSPITALS THAT SUBMITTED MATERNITY DATA TO U.S. NEWS THIS YEAR, ONLY 414 EARNED A HIGH PERFORMING RATING. -CONGRATS TO PAM WETZEL, MD, WHO WAS NAMED A 2025 "CMO TO KNOW" BY BECKER'S HOSPITAL REVIEW!-UNITYPOINT HEALTH MERITER WAS RECENTLY NAMED TO NEWSWEEK'S AMERICA'S BEST MATERNITY HOSPITALS 2024 LISTING. MERITER WAS ONE OF 168 HOSPITALS AWARDED FIVE RIBBONS, WHILE 236 HOSPITALS RECEIVED FOUR RIBBONS. THE EVALUATION CENTERED ON THREE PILLARS: AN ONLINE SURVEY OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND HOSPITAL MANAGERS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF MATERNITY PROCESSES, RESULTS FROM PATIENT EXPERIENCE SURVEYS, AND CONSIDERATION OF HOSPITAL QUALITY METRICS.-UNITYPOINT HEALTH - MERITER HAS BEEN NAMED TO THE 2024 EDITION OF BECKER'S 'GREAT COMMUNITY HOSPITALS' LIST. COMMUNITY HOSPITALS HONORED IN THIS LIST ARE FOCUSED ON BRINGING CLINICAL AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, PERSONALIZED AND HOLISTIC CARE, AND OVERALL IMPROVED HEALTH TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE BECKER'S EDITORIAL TEAM SELECTED HOSPITALS FOR INCLUSION BASED ON NOMINATIONS AND CONSIDERED SEVERAL OUTSIDE RANKINGS AND RATINGS ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, HEALTHGRADES, CMS, THE LEAPFROG GROUP, THE NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION AND THE CHARTIS CENTER FOR RURAL HEALTH. BECKER'S RECOGNIZED UPH-M AS A COMMUNITY HOSPITAL THAT HAS SERVED ITS COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 125 YEARS, AND IS COMMITTED TO CREATING A DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE CARE ENVIRONMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IT RECENTLY RENAMED ITS WOMEN'S HEALTH/MOTHER-BABY SERVICES TO PREGNANCY AND NEWBORN SERVICES TO ENSURE AN INCLUSIVE CULTURE AT ALL STAGES OF THE CARE CONTINUUM. THE HOSPITAL OFFERS EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR AREA STUDENTS, PARTNERS WITH A LOCAL FURNITURE STORE TO PROVIDE MATTRESSES TO RESIDENTS OF A NEARBY LOW-INCOME HOUSING COMPLEX, AND WORKS TO ADDRESS NEGATIVE IMPACTS TO HEALTH, SUCH AS HOMELESSNESS, THROUGH A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES TREATMENT TO THOSE WITH HOUSING INSECURITIES. THE HOSPITAL'S EFFORTS HAVE UNITYPOINT.ORG BEEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY, INCLUDING EARNING A 5-STAR QUALITY RATING FROM CMS AND BEING NAMED THE NO. 2 HOSPITAL NATIONWIDE ON NEWSWEEK'S EXCELLENCE 1000 INDEX FOR 2024.-MERITER IS RANKED 67TH IN THE UNITED STATES AND 3RD IN WISCONSIN ON THE 2024 NEWSWEEK BEST HOSPITALS IN THE WORLD LIST. NEWSWEEK IDENTIFIED THE TOP 2,400 HOSPITALS ACROSS 30 COUNTRIES. EACH HOSPITAL'S SCORE IS BASED ON AN ONLINE SURVEY OF MORE THAN 85,000 MEDICAL EXPERTS AND PUBLIC DATA FROM POST-HOSPITALIZATION PATIENT SURVEYS ON THEIR GENERAL SATISFACTION. THE SCORE ALSO CONSIDERS METRICS ON THINGS LIKE HYGIENE AND PATIENT/DOCTOR RATIO AS WELL AS A STATISTA SURVEY ON WHETHER HOSPITALS USE PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOME MEASURES (PROMS), WHICH ARE STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED BY PATIENTS TO ASSESS THEIR EXPERIENCE AND RESULTS.-FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, UNITYPOINT HEALTH MERITER HAS BEEN NAMED TO NEWSWEEK'S LIST OF "WORLD'S BEST HOSPITALS". MERITER RANKED IN THE TOP 100, NO. 73 IN THE UNITED STATES. OUR PARTNERS AT UW HEALTH RANKED NO. 22 IN THE NATION AND IN THE TOP 200 GLOBALLY, AND UNITYPOINT HEALTH AFFILIATE ST. LUKE'S IN CEDAR RAPIDS CAME IN AT NO.177 NATIONALLY. NEWSWEEK AND STATISTA DEVELOPED A COMPLEX METHODOLOGY TO ENSURE THE QUALITY AND VALIDITY OF THE RANKING.-2024 GET WITH THE GUIDELINES-STROKE GOLD PLUS TARGET: TYPE 2 DIABETES HONOR ROLL. MERITER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO ENSURING STROKE PATIENTS RECEIVE THE MOST APPROPRIATE TREATMENT ACCORDING TO NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, RESEARCH-BASED GUIDELINES, ULTIMATELY LEADING TO MORE LIVES SAVED AND REDUCED DISABILITY.-MERITER'S SECURITY TEAM RECEIVED THE IAHSS AWARD. THE SECURITY TEAM WAS SELECTED BASED ON LEADER AND SECURITY OFFICER CERTIFICATION, AS WELL AS SKILLS AND SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE IN HEALTHCARE SECURITY AND SAFETY AND ARE ONLY 1 OF 60 U.S.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1937.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
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