NATCHEZ — Last year, Natchez Regional Medical Center and the Natchez Medical Foundation combined lost a little more than $1 million.

NRMC’s annual audit shows that the medical center earned an approximately $2.2 million profit, while the foundation lost approximately $3.3 million.

NRMC Chief Financial Officer Charles Mock presented a summary of the county-owned hospital’s audit, which was performed by Horne CPAs & Business Advisors, to the Adams County Board of Supervisors at its meeting Monday.

Supervisor David Carter noted the medical center’s profit, but asked Mock the reason behind the foundation’s loss. Mock said that the foundation, which was established in 2009, has start-up clinics that have not yet turned a profit because of physician recruitment and other start-up costs.

“We need to bring the foundation along a little bit more,” he said. The hospital, Mock said, has a lot of patients who do not have insurance, and many are on Medicare and Medicaid. “Operating those clinics … comes with a burden, so to say,” Mock said. The audit also showed $28 million in total assets, roughly the same as the 2011 fiscal year, and a $1.8 million increase in short-term liabilities. The audit summary did not provide enough information to determine what caused the increase.

The supervisors were awaiting the full audit for information about NRMC’s out-of-court settlement for the hospital’s $42 million lawsuit against its former management company Quorum Health Resources. The audit, however, did not include any information about the settlement, Mock said, because the settlement was received after the 2012 fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. The auditors, however, made a footnote in the audit summary noting the settlement because it was a “significant event,” Mock said. “The next audit report will address it in more detail,” he said.