From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Mission Hospital in Asheville confirmed on Nov. 21 that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has removed its latest Immediate Jeopardy designation, the most severe sanction, which followed probes into patient safety issues, such as misidentification and infection control.

 The designation removal allows Mission to avoid Medicare termination, but requires further corrective action and inspections

“It was the second time in two years that the hospital had been placed in Immediate Jeopardy — the most serious type of deficiency the federal health agency can assign,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Nov. 24. 

“Since the hospital’s $1.5 billion purchase by HCA Healthcare in 2019, nurses have unionized, citing understaffing and poor workplace treatment, which some have said contributed to patient deaths and lag in treatment,” the ACT stated, adding that “the hospital has been placed in Immediate Jeopardy three times — with citations in 2021, 2024 and 2025 — since being purchased.

An Oct. 10 letter from the the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, which recommended the latest Immediate Jeopardy citation, noted, “A September survey identified multiple instances where staff failed to provide a safe environment for patients during incidents on Sept. 18, Sept. 4, Aug. 19 and July 26.”

Further, the ACT reported, “A 62-page report by CMS obtained by the Citizen Times outlined the series of incorrect procedures and staffing levels that did not meet CMS standards.

Two patients died — one on July 26 and one on Sept. 4 — due to failures to sufficiently monitor patient health, according to the report. The complaint investigation, held over two weeks in September, identified immediate jeopardy to patients’ health and safety on Sept. 25, according to the report. “

Meanwhile, in a Nov. 21 “notice” from CMS to Mission Health President and CEO Greg Lowe, CMS asserted the following:

“Under 42 C.F.R. § 489.53, a hospital that does not comply with the Medicare Conditions of Participation is subject to termination of its provider agreement. A

“lthough the termination of Memorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery Center’s provider agreement was originally set for November 9, 2025, based on the finding of immediate jeopardy, the termination date has now been extended to January 15, 2026. 

“Unless Memorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery Center has achieved substantial compliance by January 15, 2026, the Medicare provider agreement between the hospital and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services will be terminated.

“Memorial Mission Hospital must resubmit a Plan of Correction (PoC) to CMS and the North Carolina State Survey Agency no later than December 1, 2025 describing in detail the specific corrective measures taken to resolve these deficiencies. Should we not hear from you, we will assume that the situation has not been corrected....”

Later on Nov 21, Lowe announced that CMS officially sent Mission Hospital a letter indicating its removal from Immediate Jeopardy that same day, Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported. 

Specifically, Lowe wrote in an email to Mission Hospital staff the following:

“We are pleased to announce that we received written notice from CMS today confirming that the survey conducted on November 7 removed the immediate jeopardy at Mission Hospital.

“We appreciate CMS providing confirmation on this matter and look forward to continuing to work with them as we move through the next phase of the process.”.

Meanwhile, News 13’s “Comment Bubble” following its story included the following assertions:

• AvlNC — “How many times might a major hospital have an Immediate Jeopardy removed without being shut down? It’s clear HCA has no intention of fully staffing and keeping the hospital fully staffed. Why do WNC people have no other option but HCA? This is just WRONG.”

• Hatch. — “Go to AdventHealth (Park Ridge) in Hendersonville, if you can make it. I work there. It’s way better than Mission, where I’ve been treated terribly before. I believe they (AdventHealth) got a permit to build another hospital in either Weaverville or Candler. I know HCA was appealing that decision, though.”

• terraformis — “You do not want a major hospital like Mission “shut down”... it would be catastrophic to the entire region.” 

• RaginCajun — “If Mission (and HCA) want’s to show good faith and be a good neighbor, they should stop trying to fight Advent building a hospital in Weaverville. Trying to keep competition out is not being a good neighbor! Everyone needs competition, it makes everyone better.” 

• terraformis — “LOL... Mission likely fired employees directly involved, disciplined those indirectly involved and gave management a raise for it....  don’t worry, this will happen again soon. You have to ask yourself... if these instances occurred directly in the site of a surveyor, what is going on when the survey teams are not around?” 

• TheOracle — “Mission is out on probation once again.”  

• Myownway — “Would not let them treat a hang nail...”

• DomBostich9 — “It’s almost like Mission just received a dose of Narcan, only to screw up another day.”