Vernon Health

What it reported doing in 2024

Vernon memorial healthcare ("vmh") operates a 25-bed critical access hospital located in viroqua, Wisconsin, four provider-based rural health clinics (viroqua, la farge, soldiers grove, and westby), and two retail pharmacy locations. Vmh maintains a clear and consistent commitment to its charitable purpose through the provision of health and wellness services to the communities served without regard to age, race, gender, creed, national original, ability to pay, and physical or mental handicap. Vmh's dedicated workforce exemplifies service in alignment with organizational value statements: great experiences. Respecting everyone. Excellence in everything we do. Always a helpful attitude. Taking care of one another.in response to the needs of the communities served, vmh is proud to provide high quality inpatient acute care for medical, surgical, obstetrical, and newborn service needs. Vmh further supports the needs of its patients by offering access to swing bed (skilled) nursing care. With a constant focus on quality and patient safety, vmh offers outpatient and ancillary healthcare services including 24-hour emergency services, surgical services, laboratory, x-ray, ultrasound, ct scans, mri, mammography, cardiac rehabilitation, infusion and gastrointestinal services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and nutritional therapy including diabetic education. Patients served by the hospital in fiscal 2025 included 1,996 adult and pediatric inpatient days and 124 newborn deliveries. There was a total of 1,760 surgery cases (inpatient and outpatient combined) and there were 94,523 total outpatient visits. The vmh emergency room provided immediate access to care in response to 7,557 emergency room visits.as a part of vmh's mission, and in keeping with its status as a not-for-profit healthcare organization, vmh has established a patient financial assistance policy that sets forward the criteria by which a patient may qualify to receive care at amounts less than the established rates; to receive charity care. Vmh maintains records to identify and monitor the level of charity care provided, the total healthcare services provided to patients under this policy are measured in both total charges and at the estimated cost of providing care to patients with both figures reported and available by referring to schedule h in addition, vmh is a provider under the Wisconsin medicaid program. Under the program, vmh is legally bound to accept the amount determined by the state of Wisconsin as payment in full for each patient's charges even though reimbursement is less than the cost to provide the care, therefore, service to patients under this program should also be considered part of the organization's benefit provided to the community. (for additional information on vmh's charity care and/or the cost of participation in the Wisconsin medicaid program, please refer to schedule h of form 990.) in addition, vmh engages in a variety of community benefit activities, providing a critically important community benefit that would not otherwise be available in the communities served without the efforts and specialized knowledge of the local healthcare team.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 77.9%; rating input score 78
• Program expense ratio: 82.7%; rating input score 83
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 78.2%; rating input score 78; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • 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: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 6.5%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.64; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings