Gundersen Lutheran Health System Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391866425
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
La Crosse, WI, USA
Phone
6087827300
Rating
22
Verdict
REVIEW
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Health Systems
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,500,000
Expenses
$0
Assets
$60,334,937
Liabilities
$7,372,901

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREA HAUSER RN (BOARD OF TRUSTEES, VICE PRESIDENT, ACUTE CARE LA CROSSE & SYSTEM CNO)
  • HEATHER SCHIMMERS RN (BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PRESIDENT)
  • SCOTT RATHGABER MD (BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CHAIRMAN, CEO)
  • KELLEY BAHR MD (MEDICAL VICE PRESIDENT, AMBULATORY SERVICES)
  • KRAIG SCHUSTER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL MCKEE (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SCOTT RATHGABER MD (BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CHAIRMAN, CEO): $1,397,550 total reported compensation
  • HEATHER SCHIMMERS RN (BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PRESIDENT): $914,152 total reported compensation
  • JOHN CEELEN (TREASURER, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $782,368 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support gundersen lutheran medical center, inc. And gundersen clinic, ltd. And/or their affiliates' programs of health care, medical education, medical research and community health promotion activities within the meaning of sec 509(a)(3) of the irc; to engage in activities relating to the aforementioned purposes, including the power to acquire/receive funds and property of every kind and to invest in, receive, hold, use and dispose of all property, real or personal, to carry into effect the aforementioned purposes.

What it reported doing in 2024

Gundersen lutheran health system, inc. Provides support to an integrated health system with local access in the primarily rural region of west central Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. Gundersen lutheran health system inc.'s affiliates comprehensive range of services include inpatient, clinical behavioral health, diagnostic, emergency and other services in numerous medical specialties.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

REVIEW - The strongest available result is that the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 48
  • Accountability: 32
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: Limited
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -47.1% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed
  • Governance: 0 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.4M · 29 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.