Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center provides quality healthcare, in alignment with Covenant Health's mission to serve the community by improving the quality of life through better health, regardless of a patient's ability to pay.
- Income
- $423.2 million
- Spending
- $435.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 98%
- Reserves
- 0.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 99%
- Employees
- 2,446
- Volunteers
- 558
- Highest pay
- $3.2 million, 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
Fair: 62 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 15% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1598% 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 2519 of 20 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)
- $427.2 million spent. Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center ("Fort Sanders Regional") traces its beginnings to May 1919, when a group of physicians received a charter from the State of Tennessee for a new hospital to be built on the site of the Civil War Battle of Fort Sanders. Fort Sanders Regional has grown throughout its 100+ year history to include 45 medical specialties. The hospital has 444 acute care beds and 24 beds in the Fort Sanders Transitional Care Unit. SERVICEThe hospital is known for excellence in stroke care, neurosciences, cardiology, surgery, oncology, orthopedics, obstetrics, bariatrics, and rehabilitation medicine. In 2024, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center received its fifth consecutive "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national distinction celebrates Fort Sanders Regional's achievements in patient safety. Additionally, Fort Sanders Transitional Care Unit received an American Health Care Association Bronze National Quality Award, 5-star overall rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and U.S. News & World Report recognition as a Best Nursing Home.The hospital was also named on Becker's Hospital Review's 2024 list of "Great Hospitals in America" a national list of facilities that are "widely recognized for their clinical excellence, commitment to patient safety, innovative initiatives, research efforts, education and high levels of patient satisfaction."In 2024, Fort Sanders Regional also received eight Zero Harm Awards for patient safety from the Tennessee Hospital Association. These awards recognize outstanding patient safety achievements at hospitals across Tennessee.Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center served 224,561 patients in 2024. Of these, 204,886 were outpatients and 19,675 were inpatients, with an average length-of-stay of 4.84 days.PUTTING PATIENTS FIRSTAs a neuroscience and rehabilitation center of excellence, Fort Sanders Regional is committed to providing the latest advancements for neurological care, including stereotactic neurosurgery and neuro-interventional radiology. When coupled with the comprehensive services of the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospital (a joint venture hospital with Encompass Health at Fort Sanders Regional) and the Patricia Neal Outpatient Center (a department of Fort Sanders Regional), the neuroscience and rehabilitation programs provide services to optimize clinical and functional patient outcomes.Neurologic technology at the hospital includes an innovative 3D-imaging system that uses global positioning technology to give physicians real-time views inside the body without radiation, while facilitating less invasive and more precise surgeries. Fort Sanders Regional also offers diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.Fort Sanders Regional is designated by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke and Rehabilitation Center of Excellence specializing in the acute management of strokes, including advanced treatment and research. Fort Sanders Regional is the hub of Covenant Health's stroke hospital network, which links Covenant Health's member hospitals in providing access to collaborative, rapid, advanced stroke care throughout our region. Fort Sanders Regional's award-winning Heart Center offers comprehensive cardiovascular services that span the continuum of heart care, from testing and advanced diagnostics to interventional technologies, cardiovascular surgeries, clinical trials and cardiac rehabilitation. In 2024, the hospital became the first in state to adopt a new revolutionary diagnostic technology that provides a 3D model of a patient's heart structure to help better identify blockages. In 2024, the hospital earned the following American Heart Association/American Stroke Association designations for excellence in stroke and heart care: - Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award- Mission: Lifeline - STEMI Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award- Mission: Lifeline - NSTEMI Gold Quality Achievement Award Fort Sanders Regional is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. It was the first hospital in the state to receive the accreditation.Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is recognized for excellence in surgery. The bariatric surgery program, which helps people who are morbidly obese reverse or eliminate medical risks associated with obesity through surgical treatment, is accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. The program was also recognized as a "Best Weight Loss Clinic" by Newsweek in 2024. Fort Sanders Regional is also noted for women's surgeries such as breast cancer, c-section and gynecologic procedures. Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center has received the Blue Cross BlueShield Blue Distinction designation for bariatrics and spine surgery as well as knee and hip surgery. In 2024, a total of 11,483 patients underwent surgery at Fort Sanders Regional in specialty areas, including: - Cardiothoracic Surgery- Cardiovascular Surgery- Colon/Rectal Surgery- Neurosurgery- Orthopedic Surgery- Plastic Surgery- Sinus Surgery and other Ear, Nose, and Throat Procedures- Surgical Oncology- Thoracic Surgery- Vascular SurgeryFort Sanders Regional also offers surgical oncology, the surgical management of cancer. Surgical oncologists may specialize in thoracic or gynecological procedures, along with other sub-specialties to help cancer patients. IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY'S QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH BETTER HEALTHFort Sanders Regional is committed to building a healthy community through these and other initiatives: - In 2024, the program reached its 1,000th case milestone for a new robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform for minimally invasive lung biopsies, greatly improving the quality of life in lung nodule patients. This technology obtain
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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2007.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 2026.
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