Barton Healthcare System
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Barton Health delivers safe, high quality care and engages the community in the improvement of health and wellness. Barton Health is the community health leader known for compassion and chosen for quality.
- Income
- $265.2 million
- Spending
- $225.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 11.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 97%
- Employees
- 1,097
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $1.4 million, 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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 12% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% 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
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Independent board
0 of 259 of 0 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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 (4)
- $156.8 million spent. Barton Healthcare System (Barton Health) has been serving Lake Tahoe's health care needs for over 60 years. Barton Health is a nonprofit community health system that includes Barton Memorial Hospital, consisting of 24-hour emergency care services, 63 patient beds, a skilled nursing facility with 48 resident beds, and over 20 ambulatory outpatient clinics. Barton Health is a bi-state health system serving the greater Lake Tahoe region in California and Nevada. Barton Health has approximately 245 credentialed physicians and a team of nearly 1,000 employees providing quality health care services to residents and visitors. Barton Health provides exceptional care, regardless of an individual's ability to pay.
- $7.1 million spent. The Barton Community Health Center provides primary care to Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries, those with insurance but with very high deductibles, or those who are uninsured. Same day appointments were available, which improved medical outcomes. The Barton Community Health Center combined the efforts of skilled professionals including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical assistants, nurses and other medical support staff, and contracted with family and specialty physicians. Patients were seen at this clinic by physicians who specialized in the following areas: family medicine, pediatrics, ADHD treatment, orthopedics and spine care, cardiology, neurology, obstetrics, gynecology, infectious disease (hepatitis C), and a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program.
- $7.8 million spent. The Financial Assistance Program assists patients of Barton Memorial with their medical bills. It matches the patients' ability to pay according to their unique circumstance. Patients are asked to complete an application and provide financial information about their income to determine their ability to pay. The discount patients receive on their medical bill depends on their adjusted gross income compared with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services poverty income guidelines. The program is designed for those patients who cannot afford their medical bills. Barton Health provides discounts for those with incomes up to 400 percent of the most recent poverty income guidelines, and/or under special circumstances. During the current year this program provided over $7.7 million of gross charges in charity care.
- The following programs are community outreach programs that benefit the health of Barton Health Lake Tahoe South Shore Community.Food Insecurity Program: In partnership with Whole Foods and Starbucks Barton picked up and distributed high quality perishable and non-perishable food up to four days a week to our community partners as well as directly to our most vulnerable community members throughout the first half of 2024. In the second half of 2024, we transferred the Starbucks food donation to The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless and the Whole Foods food donation to the food pantry, Christmas Cheer all Year. Staff also served on the Board of Directors for this pantry that provides food and basic needs to South Lake Tahoe's most vulnerable. Community Health Fair: Barton hosted a successful community health fair at Bijou Elementary School on October 17, 2024. Approximately 220 community members attended and received medical services and education, including blood pressure checks, CPR training, and Covered CA enrollment support, along with community-provided services including flu vaccines. Community Health Improvement Efforts: Barton partnered with ACCEL El Dorado County, a community-wide collaborative of public and private partners working together to improve the health and well-being of El Dorado County's vulnerable populations. Barton Health hosted the Community Health Advisory Committee (CHAC), a collaborative of representatives of various community agencies and community members that meet monthly to address emerging community health needs. Staff members also participated in the Community Behavioral Health Network meetings, community drug education meetings, and the Lake Tahoe Collaborative meetings. Barton staff met with community members at the South Tahoe Family Resource Center to better understand the real and perceived barriers that Latino community members face in receiving care. Staff served on the Board of Directors-of Encompass Youth, working to coordinate collaboration and communication to assure that Transitional Age Youth have the navigational support systems to create a path to stability and independence.Social Determinants of Health: Barton participated in the following community-based programs related to environmental factors that influence our community members' health and wellness.TRANSPORTATION: Barton staff served on the board of the South Shore Transit Management Association, which was a driving force in creating the first ever Microtransit program (LakeLink) that delivered free rides to over 175,000 community members in 2024. BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Hospital staff participated in the Tahoe Chamber of Commerce to address community health and safety issues.SUBSTANCE USE: Staff members participated in community efforts to address substance abuse prevention and education, including the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) whose mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance use and related harm, and El Dorado Coalition for Overdose Prevention and Education (COPE), whose mission is to build collaboratives to address the overdose epidemic in El Dorado County. A staff member served on the board of Mountain High Recovery Center, a non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through the education and treatment of substance use disorders.HEALTHCARE DISPARITY: Barton participated in monthly and/or quarterly town hall meetings with a leading Latino/Latina community advocate, The South Tahoe Family Resource Center to educate and inform on important topics of interest related to a myriad of social determinants of health.We have continued our collaboration with The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless to expedite appropriate care and decrease emergency department visits for those they serve. We also provided staff to assist with the annual Point in Time count and understanding community needs with ride-along activities.
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 November 6, 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 April 1965.
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 November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.