Atrium Health, which has a hub in Macon, sees growth in operating income, patients

A Charlotte, N.C.-based hospital system that has a partnership with Navicent Health in Macon had an operating income of $284 million in 2019 — an increase of 23.2% from the year before, the health system said Tuesday.

The not-for-profit Atrium Health released its 2019 financial report after its first Board of Commissioners meeting this year.

Last year was the first year of Atrium’s “strategic combination” with Navicent Health, giving Atrium a hub in Macon. Navicent’s statistics are included in the financial report for newborn deliveries and physician and emergency room visits.

Atrium had an increase in physician visits in 2019 with 6.3 million, up from 5.9 million the year before.

There were 872,402 emergency room visits and 19,312 newborn deliveries in 2019. Both represented increases.

The financial news came a week after Atrium announced CEO Gene Woods made $7.25 million in total compensation last year.

Atrium said that the compensation of its top 10 executives is less than 1% of the total compensation for all employees, according to a statement.

Atrium’s top 10 highest paid executives make more than $26.4 million in total compensation, according to the financial disclosure.

The hospital system, one of Charlotte’s largest employers, also announced last week it will raise employee minimum wage in the Charlotte area to $13.50, up from $12.50.

The minimum wage increase will affect more than 10,000 employees, according to Atrium.