CEO of Asheville's Mission Health Commends Staff for Transparency and Cooperation During State Audit
Last Friday, Mission Hospital CEO Greg Lowe commended the hospital’s staff for their professionalism, as several surveyors from the North Carolina Department of Health Services (NCDHSR) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted a rigorous review of Mission Hospital to determine the validity of various complaints. Lowe recognized the staff for their cooperation and acknowledged the challenges of serving patients while answering questions from surveyors, as well as the anxiety caused by working with someone looking over their shoulders.
The surveyors worked to determine the validity of 35 complaints from unknown community sources and here is what they found.
Twenty-six of the complaints (74%) were completely unsubstantiated.
Thirteen complaints (37%) were substantiated but found without deficiency. That means that the incident happened, but there was no impact on patient care.
One complaint was substantiated with a deficiency. This involved one incident where two nurses were observed entering an isolation room without proper protective equipment. The hospital plans to implement an action plan to prevent future incidents.
Analysis: Fair Media Treatment?
The Asheville Watchdog reported on the visit from investigators, but so far has not published a story highlighting the initial findings of the investigation. This story was promptly shared by a liberal dark money group, chaired by N.C. State Senator Julie Mayfield promptly shared this story. However, neither The Asheville Watchdog nor Reclaim WNC Healthcare have acknowledged the initial findings that the vast majority of complaints were deemed “unsubstantiated.” One wonders if these progressive organizations will ever accept the results of an independent investigation.
