Bellin Gundersen Health System Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
920504278
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
La Crosse, WI, USA
Phone
6087827300
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$627,953
Expenses
$5,101,112
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRISTINE WOLESKE (EX-OFFICIO, PRESIDENT, (END 7.1.25))
  • HEATHER SCHIMMERS RN (REGIONAL PRESIDENT, EX-OFFICIO)
  • MICHELLE MICKA (VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE & ACCOUNTING)
  • SCOTT RATHGABER MD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, EX-OFFICIO)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTINE WOLESKE (EX-OFFICIO, PRESIDENT, (END 7.1.25)): $2,089,672 total reported compensation
  • SCOTT RATHGABER MD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, EX-OFFICIO): $1,397,550 total reported compensation
  • JAMES RIDER MD (BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PHYSICIAN): $1,005,971 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Together we will inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning, and innovating.

What it reported doing in 2024

Bellin gundersen health system, inc. Provided support to an integrated health system with local access in the rural region of west central and northeastern Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan, southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. Bellin gundersen health system inc.'s affiliates comprehensive range of services includes inpatient, clinical behavioral health, diagnostic, emergency and other outpatient services in numerous medical specialties.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 1
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 68.8%; rating input score 69; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -712.3%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.9%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -22% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 91.6% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2.1M · 32 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay and related organizations
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 31 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.