From Staff Reports

Asheville-based nonprofit Mission Health, the largest health care provider in Western North Carolina, has signed a letter of intent to be acquired by a for-profit health care system, Mission announced in a news release in late March.

Mission noted that its board unanimously voted to enter into an agreement with HCA Healthcare, a Nashville, Tenn.-based health care company that operates more than 179 hospitals and 1,800 outpatient facilities in 20 states and the United Kingdom.

The agreement is not final and is subject to negotiations. Mission and HCA noted that they hope to complete the consolidation by the end of the calendar year. The due diligence process is expected to take 90 to 120 days, followed by a 90-day regulatory review and, if all goes well, culminating in a signing of definitive agreements. 

Mission, with about 12,000 workers, is the largest North Carolina employer west of Charlotte.

Officials from Mission and HCA immediately stated that massive layoffs at Mission are not envisioned.

Meanwhile, Gov. Roy Cooper, who visited Mission’s Cancer Center in Asheville on March 27, said the deal between Mission and HCA could be “positive,” but expressed concern about its possible impact on the region’s poorest residents.

Specifically, Cooper called for a commitment in the deal to provide health care to WNC’s Medicaid and indigent populations, especially given that HCA is a for-profit health care company.

“HCA Healthcare is a leading healthcare operator that offers advantages on a scale that would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve otherwise,” Mission Health Board Chair Dr. John Ball stated in a press release.

A key part of the proposed agreement is the establishment of a new foundation, according to the press release. Additionally, Mission Health said it expects to generate millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Ball sad the new foundation “will be life-changing for the residents of our region, providing tens of millions of dollars annually in new support for the most vulnerable.”

Mission Health operates a number of hospitals throughout Western North Carolina.

Although HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading system operators, it does not currently have operations in North Carolina.

“HCA Healthcare appreciates that Mission Health has the capacity to work alone, and yet we both recognize that meeting our core missions could be achieved more effectively together. It is a tribute to the Mission Health Board and team that we are in such a position of strength that we can make the best choice for our people, our parients and our community,” Mission Health President and CEO Ronald A. Paulus stated in the press release.

News of the possible acquisition of Mission by HCA comes months after Mission faced a heated and highly publicized six-month dispute with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina over coverage.

The health care provider and insurance company finally came to an agreement in December.