From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C — As of July 31, Mission Hospital in Asheville is — potentially — facing renewed trouble due to a combination of federal regulatory warnings, an independent monitor flagging contract violations, and a major state lawsuit advancing toward trial.

To that end, following are regulatory and monitoring issues:

• Federal sanctions: The hospital has cycled through severe Immediate Jeopardy safety citations by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, threatening its crucial federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.

• Service degradation: A court-appointed independent monitor’s report, released by the Dogwood Health Trust, flagged HCA Healthcare for potential noncompliance with the 2019 asset purchase agreement, citing a reduction and degradation in emergency, oncology and other core medical services.

• Official statements: “We are confident in our compliance with the terms of the APA. As always, our foremost focus is providing high-quality care,” a July 24 statement from Mission Health noted.

The following is a summary of legal action to date:

• Lawsuit to trial: A North Carolina Business Court judge largely denied HCA Healthcare’s motion to dismiss, clearing the way for the state’s lawsuit — brought by the North Carolina Department of Justice — to proceed to trial.

• Core allegations: The legal action argues that parent company HCA failed to maintain required standards and live up to promises regarding patient care and service availability made when it bought the formerly nonprofit system.

Following is the current status and oversight of the hospital:

• Lifted status: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services removed the active Immediate Jeopardy designation in January after accepting a formal correction plan.

• Ongoing compliance: The hospital remains under heightened federal scrutiny and an active Enhanced Plan of Correction as state and independent monitors evaluate long-term operational changes.