HCA appeals another AdventHealth CON: 7 things to know

Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health, part of HCA Healthcare, has filed an appeal challenging the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' decision to grant a certificate of need to AdventHealth for 26 additional acute care beds in Buncombe County, the Asheville Watchdog reported Jan. 13. 

Seven things to know: 

1. North Carolina recently approved Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth's CON application to add 26 beds to its planned hospital in Weaverville, which is projected to open in 2027. The CON approval allows AdventHealth's to expand the hospital from 67 beds to 93. 

2. AdventHealth fended off competition from Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health and Mission Health for the additional beds. 

3. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, who is the former attorney general, said in a Dec. 2 statement that the decision will increase healthcare competition in western North Carolina, which will lead to reduced costs and improved quality for patients. "I called on NCDHHS to reject Mission's application for more beds so that another healthcare provider could grow its presence in western North Carolina. I'm hopeful that this will help people get higher-quality, more affordable care when they need it."

4. According to court documents filed Dec. 20, Mission Health argues that NCDHHS failed to fully consider all available information — including public comments, financial feasibility, site preparation and projected service utilization — and made errors in applying statutory and regulatory criteria during its review. The appeal claims that the conditional approval of AdventHealth's application prejudices Mission Health by preventing its ability to expand and meet patient needs, thereby harming its business operations.

5. Mission Health is asking for a reversal of the agency's decision, arguing that the AdventHealth application should have been denied and its application approved instead. "We strongly believe Mission Hospital can best meet western North Carolina's growing need for complex medical and surgical care. If we had been awarded the beds, Mission Hospital could have had these beds available in the shortest period of time, beds which are desperately needed by our community," Nancy Lindell, a spokesperson for Mission Health said in a statement provided to Becker's. "Mission remains committed to acting in the best interest of the broader region and providing the area's most advanced healthcare."

6. A spokesperson for AdventHealth told the Asheville Watchdog the health system is "disappointed" by the extended delays the appeal will bring but is confident that the state's decision will be upheld. Design and architectural planning for the hospital will continue in the meantime.

7. An administrative hearings judge has 120 days to decide, after which AdventHealth or Mission Health may appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, extending the years-long process.

AdventHealth did not immediately respond to Becker's request for comment.

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