In a significant development in Buncombe County’s healthcare sector, two prominent hospital systems are challenging recent state decisions that favored expansions by Mission Hospital and Novant Health. AdventHealth and UNC Health West Medical Center have both filed appeals against the state Department of Health and Human Services’ approval for these expansions, intensifying the competition in the region’s healthcare landscape.
HCA Healthcare’s Mission Hospital, a longstanding leader in Buncombe County, has been the center of attention due to repeated federal sanctions pertaining to patient safety and staff shortages. Despite these issues, Mission Hospital received the green light from state health authorities to add 95 acute-care beds to its Asheville facility. Novant Health was also permitted to move forward with its plans to construct a 34-bed hospital in Arden. These approvals came amidst fierce competition among four hospital systems vying to increase capacity by up to 129 beds across facilities serving Buncombe, Graham, Madison, and Yancey counties.
Pending Legal Decisions
The appeals by AdventHealth and UNC Health West are set to be reviewed by an administrative law judge, who is expected to reach a decision within 270 days. According to Alan Wolf, a spokesperson for UNC Health, their application for a 129-bed hospital aims to offer a “safe, high-quality alternative” for western North Carolina’s residents, emphasizing the necessity of their proposal for the region’s future healthcare needs.
AdventHealth’s Victoria Dunkle explained their decision to appeal as a step to ensure comprehensive consideration of the region’s healthcare requirements. Dunkle highlighted concerns about healthcare access and quality, noting that the decision on the 129-bed application could significantly impact the community. She stressed that additional inpatient capacity is crucial for AdventHealth’s upcoming Weaverville hospital, which currently plans for at least 67 beds, potentially expanding to 93 contingent on the outcome of Mission’s appeal.
While Mission Hospital did not directly respond to the appeals, spokesperson Nancy Lindell expressed contentment with the state’s decision to add 95 beds to their Asheville campus. She affirmed Mission’s ongoing commitment to providing essential care as the sole Level I Trauma Center in western North Carolina.
Community Reactions and Criticisms
Mission Hospital’s transition from a nonprofit to ownership by Nashville-based HCA Healthcare in 2019 for $1.5 billion has been controversial, marked by significant staff departures and several “immediate jeopardy” citations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These issues have galvanized local officials and former staff to form the coalition Reclaim Healthcare WNC, advocating for HCA to divest Mission and increase local healthcare competition.
Aaron Sarver, Reclaim Healthcare WNC’s spokesperson, expressed disbelief over the state’s decision to award more beds to Mission despite its compliance issues. “How a hospital can have received four citations for Immediate Jeopardy, and still be under an enforcement action, and be awarded beds is incomprehensible,” Sarver commented in an email to supporters, emphasizing the need for change in future decisions.
