CMS Clears Mission Hospital, Finds Substantial Compliance

CMS has found Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, to be operating in "substantial compliance" with federal requirements after a July 9 validation and complaint survey, according to an Aug. 3 notice addressed to hospital CEO Greg Lowe and reviewed by Becker's Hospital Review.

The determination matters because compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation is the baseline for a hospital to keep billing Medicare and Medicaid, which fund a large share of hospital revenue. A finding of "immediate jeopardy," the agency's most serious designation, can trigger termination from those programs if not resolved. The substantial compliance finding signals the hospital has addressed the issues regulators flagged.

Mission Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare, has faced heightened regulatory scrutiny in recent years since HCA acquired the system. For hospital operators, the case is a reminder that federal surveys carry existential stakes, and that correcting deficiencies quickly is essential to protecting reimbursement and community trust.