Mission Hospital removed from immediate jeopardy, faces continued oversight

Mission Hospital in Asheville was notified in November that a federal survey conducted on November seventh removed the Immediate Jeopardy designation that regulators had imposed earlier this fall. The change averts the near term termination of the hospital s Medicare provider agreement, but it does not end regulatory oversight. Federal officials have extended the termination date to January fifteenth, two thousand twenty six, and require the hospital to demonstrate substantial compliance before that date.

In a formal notice, federal regulators warned that "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." The notice made clear the original termination date had been set for November ninth based on the Immediate Jeopardy finding, and that Mission Hospital and the affiliated Asheville Surgery Center must resubmit a Plan of Correction no later than December first describing specific corrective measures. The notice warned that failure to show corrective action would be treated as unresolved noncompliance.

Mission Health leadership told staff that regulators had confirmed removal of the immediate jeopardy during the November survey. Mission Health President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Lowe wrote in an email to staff, "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."

The designation followed a months long complaint investigation and a detailed federal report that documented incorrect procedures and staffing levels that did not meet federal standards. The state health department recommended the Immediate Jeopardy citation after a September survey identified multiple instances where staff failed to provide a safe environment for patients during incidents on September eighteenth, September fourth, August nineteenth and July twenty sixth. The federal review tied two patient deaths to failures to sufficiently monitor patient health, and inspectors identified immediate jeopardy on September twenty fifth.

For Buncombe County residents the ruling means Mission Hospital will remain in operation while it implements corrective measures and undergoes follow up inspections. The issues raised by regulators echo long standing concerns among nurses about staffing and workplace conditions since the hospital s sale to HCA Healthcare in two thousand nineteen. Regulators will now watch whether the hospital s corrective plan addresses patient monitoring, infection control and staffing practices well enough to satisfy federal conditions by mid January.