Hospital
- In 2025, SDAHO’s 54 member hospitals in South Dakota provided inpatient care to over 107,000 patients.
- During that same year, those member hospitals provided outpatient and ambulatory care for an additional 1.4 million visits.
- South Dakota hospitals also maintain 52 emergency rooms that provide care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- There are 38 Critical Access Hospitals and 1 Rural Emergency Hospital in South Dakota, which are hospital designations that help to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities.
- There are a total of 58 non-profit hospitals in South Dakota.
- The majority of South Dakota hospitals have less than 25 beds:
- 0-10: 7
- 11-25: 34
- 25 – 50: 8
- 51 – 100: 6
- 400+: 3
- The average inpatient length of stay among SDAHO member hospitals was 4.75 days in 2025. The top reasons for inpatients stays related to births, pulmonary medicine, mental health, digestive disorders, and infectious diseases.
- South Dakota hospitals and health systems provided $127 million in charity care to patients who did not have health insurance or means to pay for their care in 2025.
- A total of $179 million in care was provided to Medicaid and Medicare patients above and beyond what hospitals and health systems were reimbursed due to government underfunding of those programs.
News
Explore financial pressures and strategic planning for hospitals with upcoming webinar
as health care organizations continue to navigate financial pressures, workforce challenges, and evolving payer dynamics, SDAHO encourages members to join an upcoming webinar designed...
Minutes Matter: SDAHO highlights top-performing rural ED
On March 12, 2026, the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) hosted an engaging presentation titled “Minutes Matter: Inside a High Throughput Emergency...
South Dakota ranks #4 for doctors in 2026: WalletHub’s Best and Worst States for...
South Dakota continues to stand out as a top destination for healthcare professionals, ranking #4 best state for doctors in WalletHub’s 2026 analysis. The...
AHA Seeking applications for the Foster G. McGaw Prize
The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations is excited to share that the American Hospital Association (AHA) is seeking applications for the 2027 Foster...
DOH’s Office of Licensure and Certification announces changes to the Online Healthcare Facility Event...
The South Dakota Office of Licensure and Certification shared details regarding enhancements to the South Dakota Department of Health’s Online Required Healthcare Facility Event...
South Dakota Quick Links
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South Dakota Department of Health – DOH
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SD DOH Office of Health Facilities Licensure & Certification
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South Dakota Office of Rural Health
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South Dakota Board of Nursing
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South Dakota Chapter 34-12, Regulation of Hospitals & Related Institutions
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South Dakota Administrative Rules: Hospital, Specialized Hospital, and Critical Access Hospital Facilities
American Hospital Association
SDAHO is a member of the American Hospital Association (AHA), the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members come together to form the AHA.










