Atrium Health

Atrium Health, formerly Carolinas HealthCare System, is a not for profit hospital network which operates hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, urgent care centers, and medical practices in the American states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. About 90% of the hospitals affiliated with the system are located within 75 miles of Carolinas Medical Center, the system's flagship hospital and headquarters, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The system has over 70,000 employees.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority

Trade name	Atrium Health
Formerly	Carolinas HealthCare System
Type	North Carolina Hospital Authority
Industry	Health care
Predecessor	Charlotte Memorial Hospital
Founded	October 7, 1940 (1940-10-07) in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Headquarters	1000 Blythe Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina , North Carolina
Number of locations	900+ care locations 29 hospitals 35 emergency departments 32 cancer care locations 3,350+ providers 15,000+ nurses 35 urgent care locations  (2020)
Area served	North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
Key people	Eugene A. Woods (CEO) Carol A. Lovin (Chief Integration Officer and System Chief of Staff (COS) Brett J. Denton (Chief Legal Officer) Rasu Shrestha (CSO) Ken Haynes (President, Greater Charlotte Region) Scott C. Rissmiller (Chief Physician Executive {CPE) Jim Dunn (Chief People and Culture Officer) Anthony DeFurio (CFO) James C. Hunter (Chief Medical Officer) Kristen Morris (Chief Government Relations Officer) J. Michael Parkerson (Chief Marketing Officer) J. Andy Crowder (CIO)
Services	Health care Community service
Revenue	$9.9 billion net operating revenue $5.8 million uncompensated care  (2019)
Number of employees	~70,000 (2020)
Divisions	Levine Cancer Institute Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Levine Children's Hospital Neurosciences Institute
Website	atriumhealth.org/

Legally, Atrium Health is The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority,[1] a municipal hospital authority established under North Carolina's Hospital Authorities Act (North Carolina General Statutes chapter 131E, part 2). The authority is governed by a self-perpetuating board of commissioners which nominates new commissioners to fill its own vacancies; the chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners can approve or veto those nominations but not make nominations of her own.[2]

President & CEO

Eugene A. Woods,[3] MBA, MHA, FACHE, is president and chief executive officer of Atrium Health. Woods joined Atrium Health in April 2016 and collaborated with the organization’s nearly 70,000 employees to unite around a redefined vision to be the first and best choice for care.

Notable Highlights

• Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare[4]
• Named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top-25 Minority Executives[5]
• Spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation" about hospital capacity, addressing disparities in communities of color and a vaccine.[6]
• Addressed U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding COVID-19 testing disparities.
• Announced that a consortium of business leaders committed to collectively donating 1 million masks at a news conference hosted by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.[7]
• Hosted U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at Atrium Health Coronavirus testing center. During his visit, Secretary Azar toured a COVID-19 testing site, previewed Atrium Health's new MED-1 mobile hospital and participated in a round-table with Atrium Health leaders to discuss North Carolina's response to the virus.[8]

Rankings & Recognitions

2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report[9]

• Carolinas Medical Center: Best Hospital in the Charlotte Metro region  
• Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute: Best Hospitals in the nation for cancer care
• Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital: Best Children’s Hospitals in eight specialties: Cancer; Cardiology & Heart Surgery; Gastroenterology & GI Surgery; Neonatology; Nephrology; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; and Pulmonology

2020 CMS Health Equity Award[10]

Atrium Health was recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a 2020 CMS Health Equity Award recipient for its dedication to health equity by reducing disparities, enabling communities to achieve the highest level of health. Atrium Health is one of two organizations to win this award in 2020 and is the only nonprofit healthcare system in the nation to be recognized by CMS.

Additional Awards & Recognitions

Becker’s Hospital Review – 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare 2019[11]	American Hospital Association’s 2019 Equity of Care Award[12]	Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS©) Society Center of Excellence[13]
Magnet Recognized, American Nurses Credentialing Center 2018[14]	Atrium Health Mercy awarded Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care by Planetree International 2019[15]	Energy Star Partner of the Year 2019: Atrium Health Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy[16]
The Charlotte Observer: Top Workplaces 2019 for training and career development[17]	Forbes’ 2019 Best Employers for Women, Best-In-State Employer ranked #16 out of #67 in NC[18]	Prism International 2019 ERG and Council Honors: Atrium Health’s Divisional Diversity Council ranked as #8 best employee resource group in the nation[19]
American Heart Association 2019 Workplace Health Achievement Gold Award[20]	Forbes’ 2019 Best Employers for New Grads[21]	Secretary of Defense Employer Support: Freedom Award (the highest recognition given to employers by the U.S. Government)
American Hospital Association’s 2019 Quest for Quality Prize[22]	2019 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health: Atrium Health Pineville’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute[23]	2019 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence for reducing high risk opioid prescriptions[24]

COVID-19 Response

• Atrium Health initiated a nationally leading, innovative testing model, integrating actionable Geographic Information System (GIS) data with mobile medical units to address the testing disparity among underserved and minority communities.
• Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital is one of 30 sites across the world – and the only children’s hospital in North Carolina – selected to open a clinical trial to test the efficacy of remdesivir in pediatric patients who test positive for COVID-19.[25]
• Atrium Health launched a new initiative, “Para Tu Salud” – simply translated to “For Your Health” – to further educate and inform Hispanic communities on how to stay safe and healthy.[26]
• Atrium Health expanded hospital capacity by opening new Atrium Health COVID-19 Virtual Hospital.
• The acute surgery division at Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center developed a hospital blueprint for handling essential operations during the COVID-19 pandemic to help guide hospital surgery departments through the crisis.[27]
• Atrium Health was invited to participate in the COVID-19 Community Research Partnership by Wake Forest Baptist Health, a nationally recognized academic medical center and health system based in Winston-Salem, N.C.[28]

Innovation & Education

• Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital is one of a handful of sites nationwide with the ability to turn computer models into 3D replicas of children’s hearts.[29]
• In 2019, Atrium Health’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute’s clinical care team became one of the first teams in the United States and the world to implant a new device to treat a patient with heart valve issues.[30]
• In 2019, Atrium Health researchers were awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to test the value of practicing post-sepsis care at 8 hospitals to further what’s known about best practices for post-sepsis care.[31]
• A new therapy, developed at Atrium Health’s McColl-Lockwood Laboratory for Muscular Dystrophy Research, was created to treat limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I (LGMD2I), one of the rarest forms of muscular dystrophy.[32]
• Levine Children’s Hospital and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute were the first in the region to use high-density grid mapping catheter, (also known as "the grid"), to ablate, or destroy, a scar-related arrhythmia in a post-operative adult congenital heart patient.[33]

Hospitals & Facilities

Atrium Health is based in Charlotte, NC.

Carolinas Medical Center is the flagship hospital for the entire system (located between Dilworth and Myers Park)

Atrium Health comprises the following hospitals and facilities:

Atrium Health Hospitals

• Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC - Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital Charlotte, NC - Atrium Health Behavioral Health – Charlotte Charlotte, NC           - Atrium Health Behavioral Health – Davidson Davidson, NC

• Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute Throughout Region

• Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord, NC

• Atrium Health Mercy Charlotte, NC

• Atrium Health Pineville Pineville, NC

• Atrium Health Kings Mountain Kings Mountain, NC

• Atrium Health Cleveland Shelby, NC

• Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC

• Atrium Health University City Charlotte, NC

• Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC

• Atrium Health Stanly Albemarle, NC

• Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC

• Atrium Health Medical Group Division Throughout Region

Atrium Health Continuing Care Services

• Carolinas Rehabilitation – Main Charlotte, NC • Carolinas Rehabilitation – Mount Holly Mount Holly, Nc • Carolinas Rehabilitation – NorthEast Concord, NC • CHS Rehabilitation (a facility of Atrium Health Pineville) Pineville, NC • Healthy@Home Throughout Region • Cleveland Pines Shelby, NC • Huntersville Oaks Huntersville, NC • Sardis Oaks Charlotte, NC • Stanly Manor Albemarle, NC • Carolinas Palliative Care and Hospice Network, Inc. Throughout Region

Navicent Health, Inc.

• Medical Center of Peach County Byron, GA

• Navicent Health Baldwin Milledgeville, GA

• Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital Macon, GA

• Rehabilitation Hospital, Navicent Health Macon, GA

• Pine Pointe Hospice Macon, GA

• Carlyle Place Macon, GA

Freestanding Emergency Departments

Atrium Health operates six freestanding Emergency Departments. These are 24-hour emergency care centers for the treatment of urgent and emergency medical conditions, but are not attached to a full service hospital.

• Atrium Health Harrisburg
• Atrium Health Huntersville (Also contains a Pediatric ED)
• Atrium Health Kannapolis
• Atrium Health SouthPark
• Atrium Health Steele Creek
• Atrium Health Waxhaw

Burke County, NC

Atrium Health manages Blue Ridge Health Care System, which includes the following hospitals.

• Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge Morganton (located in Morganton)
• Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge Valdese (located in Valdese) [34]

Columbus County, NC

• Columbus Regional Health System (located in Whiteville)

Polk County, NC

• St. Luke's Hospital (located in Columbus)

Scotland County, NC

• Scotland Health Care System (located in Laurinburg)

South Carolina

The majority of Atrium Health's hospital operations in South Carolina is around the Charleston area.

Charleston Metropolitan Area

The hospitals Atrium Health manages in Charleston are organized as Roper-St. Francis Health System. This system was created in partnership with two other non-profit organizations, the Medical Society of South Carolina, one of the oldest continuously operating physician organizations in the United States and the owner of Roper Hospital, and the Bon Secours Healthcare System, which owns hospitals and medical facilities throughout the eastern United States.

Roper-St. Francis Health System

• Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital (located in West Ashley)
• Roper Hospital
• Roper-St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital (located in Mount Pleasant)
• Roper Berkeley Day Hospital (Outpatient Facility located in Moncks Corner)

Anderson County, SC

• AnMed Health Medical Center
• AnMed Health Women's and Children's Hospital
• AnMed Health Cannon

Urgent Care Centers

Known as Atrium Health Urgent Care, it is a system of 33 urgent care centers in the Charlotte metropolitan area. While a few are 24 hours, most are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week (except Thanksgiving and Christmas).[35]

• Levine Children's Urgent Care - Blakeney (located in the Ballantyne neighborhood, south Charlotte)
• Levine Children's Urgent Care - Cotswold (located in the Cotswold neighborhood, central Charlotte)
• Levine Children's Urgent Care - Union (located in Monroe)
• Urgent Care - Albemarle (located in Albemarle)
• Urgent Care - Arboretum (located in south Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Ballantyne (located in the Ballantyne neighborhood, south Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Belmont (located in Belmont)
• Urgent Care - Blue Ridge (Located in Morganton)
• Urgent Care - Cabarrus (located in Concord)
• Urgent Care - Davidson (located in Davidson)
• Urgent Care - East Lincoln (located in Denver)
• Urgent Care - Eastland (located in East Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Fort Mill (located in Fort Mill, SC)
• Urgent Care - Gastonia (located in Gastonia)
• Urgent Care - Huntersville (located in Huntersville)
• Urgent Care - Lincolnton (located in Lincolnton)
• Urgent Care - Matthews (located in Matthews)
• Urgent Care - Mint Hill (located in Mint Hill)
• Urgent Care - Monroe (located in Monroe)
• Urgent Care - Mooresville
• Urgent Care - Morehead (Open 24 Hours) (Located on the campus of Carolinas Medical Center)
• Urgent Care - Mountain Island (located in Northwest Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Prosperity Crossing (located in North Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Rea Farms
• Urgent Care - Robinwood (located in Gastonia)
• Urgent Care - Rock Hill (located in Rock Hill, SC)
• Urgent Care - Rutherford
• Urgent Care - Salisbury
• Urgent Care - Shelby
• Urgent Care - SouthPark (located in the SouthPark neighborhood, central Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Steele Creek (located in the Steele Creek neighborhood, southwest Charlotte)
• Urgent Care - Union West (Open 24 Hours) (located in Indian Trail)
• Urgent Care - University City

Behavioral Health

- Atrium Health Behavioral Health – Charlotte

Charlotte, NC   

- Atrium Health Behavioral Health – Davidson

Davidson, NC

Other facilities

In addition to providing patients with quality health care, Atrium Health operates long-term care facilities in the Charlotte Area. Other facilities of importance include:

• Cabarrus College of Health Sciences (Education Facility, located on NE campus in Concord)
• James G. Cannon Research Center (Research Facility, located on CMC campus in Dilworth)
• Carolinas College of Health Sciences (Education Facility, located on CMC campus in Dilworth)
• Carolinas Physician Network (Network of Physician Offices in North and South Carolina)
• Crawley Memorial Hospital (Defunct) - a Long-term acute care facility located in Boiling Springs
• Mercy School of Nursing (Defunct) (Education Facility, located in southwest Charlotte) [36]
• Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute is a cardiovascular practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.[37] It is the region's only clinic to offer minimally invasive heart bypass option and heart transplant center. Sanger includes more than 175 providers and 20 care centers across the Carolinas. Founded in 1956 by Paul Sanger and Dr. Francis Robicsek,[38][39]

Merger with Navicent Health

On February 8, 2018, Atrium Health, which had changed its name a day earlier, and Navicent Health of Georgia announced a partnership.[40]

On December 19, leaders from Atrium Health and Navicent Health signed the definitive agreement that commits to the organizations’ strategic combination. The agreement was effective January 1, 2019, making Navicent Health the central and south Georgia hub for the Atrium Health network.[41]

On April, 2016, Carolinas HealthCare System appointed Eugene A. Woods president and CEO. Mr. Woods was formerly president and COO of Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health. Mr. Woods earned a bachelor's degree in health planning and administration, a master's degree in business administration and a master's degree in health administration from State College-based Pennsylvania State University.

In 2018, it was reported by Atrium Health (Formerly Carolina Health System) CEO Gene Woods made $5.4 million in total compensation for calendar year 2017, his first full year leading the Charlotte-based hospital system. The figure includes a salary of $1.6 million and a bonus of more than $3 million for 2017.

Partnership with Wake Forest Baptist Health

On April 10, 2019, Atrium and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina signed a memorandum of understanding as the first step toward a partnership. On October 31 the companies said an agreement had been reached and, pending regulatory approval, the partnership would be completed March 31, 2020. A medical school in Charlotte could be built by 2021 or 2022.[42]

Controversy

• On June 9, 2016, it was reported that the U.S. Justice Department and the N.C. Attorney General's office filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Carolinas HealthCare System, alleging the chain illegally reduces competition in the local health care market. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article82726402.html#storylink=cpy
• On July 3, 2017 it was reported that Carolina's Healthcare System had agreed to pay a $6.5 million False Claims Act settlement to settle charges over its billing practices brought by a whistle blower, U.S. Attorney Jill Rose said Friday. Prosecutors contended the Charlotte-based hospital system had been improperly “up-coding” claims for urine drug tests in order to receive much higher payments than CHS would have if billed properly. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article159156729.html#storylink=cpy
• On February 13, 2020, security guards at Atrium Health Lincolnton and the Lincoln County Sheriffs Department received media attention were involved in an incident where a sixteen year old boy brought to the hospital's emergency room by his mother, was pushed, tazed and tackled to the pavement from behind by Atrium Health guards. When another pair of sheriff's deputies arrived, video shows a deputy hitting the now handcuffed boy, in the face twice as the boy spit blood pooling in his mouth. The deputy then aggressively approached the mother, yelling at her before being pulled to the ground by a second deputy, In an interview with WBTV, Sheriff Bill Beam defended his deputies saying they did nothing wrong and denying that the officer struck the boy in the face. They boy was arrested and charged with felony assault on a police officer.[43]

External links

• Atrium Health homepage
• Carolinas College of Health Sciences homepage
• Innovation Engine homepage

References

1. Charlene Butterfield and Liz Sweeney (19 April 2013). "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority (Carolinas HealthCare System), North Carolina; Joint Criteria; System" (PDF). Standard & Poor's. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
2. Alexander, Ames (16 June 2012). "Officials: Taxpayers need say on CHS". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
3. "Atrium Health Leadership". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
4. "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - Eugene Woods". Modern Healthcare. 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
5. "Top 25 Minority Leaders - Gene Woods". Modern Healthcare. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
6. "Atrium Health CEO on eliminating testing disparities, hospital capacity and a vaccine". beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
7. "Atrium Health and Business Leaders Across NC Commit to 1 Million Masks". charlotteregion.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
8. "US health secretary Alex Azar talks Covid-19 testing, reopening and RNC during visit to Charlotte area". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
9. "Atrium Health Earns Multiple Honors by U.S. News & World Report Including Top Hospital in Charlotte and Best in Cancer Care". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
10. "Health Equity Awards | CMS". cms.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
11. "150 top places to work in healthcare | 2019". beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
12. "AHA's Equity of Care Award". equityofcare.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
13. "Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
14. "Atrium Health Teams Achieve Magnet Recognition for Excellent Nursing Care". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
15. "Planetree Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care". planetree.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
16. US EPA, OA (2019-04-09). "U.S. EPA Honors 2019 ENERGY STAR® Partners of the Year in North Carolina". US EPA. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
17. "Top Workplaces | The Charlotte Observer". TopWorkplaces. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
18. "Atrium Health". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
19. "The Association of ERGs and Councils announces 2019 Award Recipients". ERG & Council Conference. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
20. "Workplace Health Achievement Index". heart.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
21. "Atrium Health". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
22. "Hospitals Honored for Commitment to Quality | AHA". aha.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
23. "Atrium Health Pineville Celebrates National Cardiovascular Ranking". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
24. February 26, Published on; 2020 (2020-02-26). "2019 HIMSS Davies Award Winners: Improving Health and Wellness Through Information and Technology | HIMSS". himss.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
25. "Levine Children's selected as one of 30 sites worldwide to open remdesivir clinical trial". https://www.wbtv.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31. External link in |website= (help)
26. Health, Atrium. "Atrium Health Increases Ongoing Commitment to Charlotte's Hispanic Community Amid COVID-19". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
27. "Critical Care Surgery Team Develops Hospital Blueprint for Handling Essential Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
28. "New COVID-19 Community Research Partnership Uses Innovative Methods to Learn More About the Virus". atriumhealth.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
29. "Atrium Health's 3D printing lab creates models of children's hearts to aid surgeons with treatment plans". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
30. "Atrium Health's Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute is Using 3D Printing Technology to Fix a "Leaky Valve" in the Heart". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
31. "Atrium Health Receives Multi-Million Dollar Research Grant from NIH to Improve Outcomes for Patients with Sepsis". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
32. "Atrium Health Joins Forces to Advance Ground-Breaking Muscular Dystrophy Treatment". Atrium Health. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
33. "New heart technology eliminates need for radiology, surgery, and medication". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
34. http://www.blueridgehealth.org/valdese-hospital.html
35. "Urgent Care Locations & Hours". Retrieved 2018-02-07.
36. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2013-09-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
37. "Francis Robicsek, MD, PhD: a conversation with the editor ∗". American Journal of Cardiology. 85 (11): 1340–1356. 2000-06-01. doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(00)00880-8. ISSN 0002-9149. PMID 10831952.
38. "Dr. Francis Robicsek, surgeon and humanitarian, dies at 94".
39. "Francis Robicsek, Obituary - Charlotte, NC". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
40. "Atrium Health, Navicent Health join forces in Georgia". Independent Tribune. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
41. "Atrium Health and Navicent Health to complete combination Jan. 1". Modern Healthcare. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
42. Craver, Richard (2019-11-01). "Wake Forest Baptist, Atrium sign partnership agreement". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
43. Ochsner, Nick. "Video shows teen assaulted by Atrium security, Lincoln Co. sheriff's deputy outside ER". WBTV. Retrieved 2020-02-14.