Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, has been removed from immediate jeopardy by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), according to the health system.
This was the third time Mission Hospital was placed under immediate jeopardy since it was bought by HCA Healthcare in 2019. Back in October, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) recommended Mission Hospital be put in immediate jeopardy for practices that resulted in an unsafe environment for patients after conducting an investigation.
Why It Matters
Immediate jeopardy is the most serious sanction a hospital can face. According to CMS, this occurs when noncompliance by providers, suppliers or laboratories has placed the health and safety of recipients in its care at risk for serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment or death.
According to the letter obtained by Asheville Watchdog, NCDHHD said the hospital staff did not provide a safe environment for patients by “failing to have systems in place and followed to promptly correct and mitigate risks related to patient misidentification, to follow established telemetry escalation pathways and ensure systems in place and functioning for continuous monitoring of a patient during transport.”
Nurses at Mission Hospital also held a rally in September to raise awareness for staffing and safety issues in their workplace.
What To Know
On November 10, HCA Healthcare told Newsweek that the state surveying agency removed the immediate jeopardy designation and notified CMS of the outcome.
In an email to hospital colleagues shared with Newsweek, Mission Health President Greg Lowe announced that CMS confirmed it removed the hospital from immediate jeopardy after a survey was conducted on November 7.
“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,” he said. “I want to thank all of you for the patience you have shown with the North Carolina State Survey Agency and CMS throughout this process. We are proud of how it has not distracted you as we have continued to provide compassionate and high-quality care for the people of Western North Carolina.”
At the time of the immediate jeopardy recommendation, HCA Healthcare told Newsweek that state regulators did not articulate what insufficiencies exist and that it proactively shared its plans with CMS to address issues that NCDHHD highlighted.
What Happens Next
Lowe said the health system will submit an updated plan of correction for approval and undergo a re-survey by January 15, 2026. He said the health system already has action plans in place to address remaining items identified during the original survey.
Newsweek reached out to CMS for comment.
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