From Staff Reports 

A report in response to a petition from Pardee UNC Health Care supports the hospital's claim that the need for more hospital beds in the Buncombe-Madison-Yancey-Graham service area “has been inflated and distorted by pandemic bed utilization,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Dec. 15.

“On Aug. 10, Pardee sent a letter to state health officials, urging them to remove the need for 31 acute care hospital beds in the Buncombe-Madison-Yancey-Graham service area, which was identified in the proposed 2023 State Medical Facilities Plan,” News 13 noted.

In the petition, Pardee officials wrote: 

"Pardee believes that the Acute Care Services Committee’s intent to avoid bed need determinations that were based on temporary, COVID-19 generated volume has, unfortunately, not been fully addressed in the ... service area and has resulted in an unsupported “need” for beds in this service area. Granting this petition will rectify the bed need in (the) ... service area and ensure that beds based on temporary spikes in volume are not developed."

News 13 added, “Pardee urged state health officials to grant its petition and avoid ‘unnecessary duplication of services’ and prevent the development of unneeded capacity in Buncombe County where healthcare prices are reportedly higher than most other areas in the state.

The state's Acute Care Services Committee sent a response to Pardee as follows:

 "Based on utilization and population trends before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the Buncombe service area did not exhibit growth that suggests a projected need for additional beds. Further, Buncombe’s spike in utilization of acute care beds is relatively large, an outlier compared to similar hospitals, and believed to be temporary; it is reasonable that such a substantial and sudden increase should not impact Buncombe’s need determination."

News 13 added, “The committee recommended approval of the petition to remove the need determination for 31 acute care beds in the Buncombe Service area in the 2023 SMFP.”

Meanwhile, Pardee UNC Health Care President and CEO Jay Kirby provided the following statement:

“Pardee is pleased with the decision made by NC DHSR in response to our petition to remove the need determination for 31 acute care beds in the Buncombe service area in the 2023 SMFP."

Yet, News 13 stated, “Somewhat contradictorily, however, more hospital beds are on the way in Buncombe County. 

“In late November, the state approved Advent-Health's Certificate of Need application to bring 67 more acute care beds to the service area. 

“The need for those beds was identified in the 2022 State Medical Facilities Plan, which led to the battle between Mission, AdventHealth and Novant Health to fill the need for those beds.”