A recent Wake Forest University paper found that HCA Healthcare’s 2019 acquisition of Mission Health did not lead to lasting improvements in Asheville’s once-lauded hospital system. Instead, the report concluded that the acquisition resulted in significant staffing shortages and a decline in the quality of care.
The study found two-thirds of Mission’s 750 physicians departed since the acquisition over concerns of care standards and HCA’s management practices. HCA’s management also slashed nurse staffing and the staffing levels of other health care workers. HCA also took its hatchet to specialties like urology, rheumatology, and neurology.
These staffing shortages and cuts have led to canceled surgeries, delayed appointments, and increased safety incidents. Mission’s emergency department has been particularly impacted and is now the subject of multiple lawsuits.
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HCA pushed out providers, downgraded care after acquiring Mission Health: report