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Mission Health appeals state’s awarding of 26 acute care beds to AdventHealth’s planned Weaverville hospital • Asheville Watchdog

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4 months ago

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avlwatchdog.org – ANDREW R. JONES – 2025-01-13 16:23:00

Mission Health has requested a judge reconsider the state’s decision to allow non-profit hospital system AdventHealth to bring 26 acute care beds to Buncombe County, potentially delaying the construction of a hospital in Weaverville meant to open in 2027.

Mission Health, owned by for-profit Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, filed an appeal Dec. 20 to the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings, stating that the 26 beds were erroneously granted to AdventHealth. Mission, Novant Health, and AdventHealth, each applied in June for the 26 beds through the state’s mandatory Certificate of Need (CON) program. AdventHealth won the application last November, which would allow it to expand its planned Weaverville hospital from 67 beds to 93. 

Mission’s appeal, brought against the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Health Service Regulation, says those agencies’ decisions curbed Mission’s expansion efforts.

“By denying Mission a CON for the Mission Application, the Agency’s Decision prevents Mission from expanding Mission Hospital to meet the needs of Mission’s existing and future patients and therefore directly limits Mission’s ability to engage in its lawful business,” the appeal said.

“AdventHealth is disappointed that our community will again face delays in receiving access to health care choice,” AdventHealth spokesperson Victoria Dunkle said Monday. “HCA/Mission’s appeal of the State’s decision to award the CON for 26 additional acute care hospital beds to AdventHealth will push back the timeframe for bringing those beds to the people of Buncombe, Graham, Madison, and Yancey counties.”

AdventHealth is confident that the state’s decision will be upheld and the company will continue with the design and architectural planning of the hospital  in the meantime, “so we are ready to add these beds and expand care for our community as soon as we receive a decision on this appeal,” Dunkle said.

Mission’s appeal also chastised DHHS and DHSR for granting AdventHealth the beds because, it said, AdventHealth’s application didn’t adhere to a number of rules.

“AdventHealth has failed to define its patient population to be served, failed to exclude patient populations it will not serve, failed to consider the impact of its existing hospital in Henderson County, and provided utilization projections which are unreasonable and undocumented,” Mission argued in one part of the appeal. 

“Had the Agency properly considered the written comments submitted during the review, it would have found both the AdventHealth Application and the Novant Health Application non-conforming with multiple of the Statutory Review Criteria, which would have rendered both the AdventHealth Application and the Novant Health Application unapprovable.”

Reached for comment, Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell said, “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. Mission remains committed to acting in the best interest of the broader region and providing the area’s most advanced healthcare.”

An Office of Administrative Hearings judge will have at least 120 days to decide the case, according to a clerk there.

But even then, the battle might not be over. 

Following the judge’s decision, AdventHealth or Mission could appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the clerk said.

The appeal is yet another step in a years-long process. 

AdventHealth, Mission Health, and Novant Health applied to build a 67-bed Buncombe hospital in June 2022, a bid AdventHealth ultimately won, despite pushback from the other two systems. The victory created the first hospital competition in Buncombe County since Memorial Mission Hospital merged with Asheville’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1998.

AdventHealth paid $7.5 million in February 2024 for four adjoining parcels comprising 25.45 acres on Ollie Weaver Road along US 25-70, just west of I-26, according to property records. The hospital is meant to serve patients in Buncombe, Graham, Madison, and Yancey counties. 

In May, Administrative Law Judge Michael C. Byrne concluded in a 50-page decision that the DHSR was correct when it chose AdventHealth over Mission and Novant Health

Following Byrne’s conclusion, AdventHealth confirmed it would pursue the additional 26 acute care beds through a separate CON application.

In February 2024, Mission was sanctioned with immediate jeopardy by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. A federal report found 14 patients were put in danger and four died between 2022 and 2023 as a result of deficiencies in care at the hospital. The hospital corrected issues causing that sanction.

HCA and Mission Health also face a lawsuit by former North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who was elected governor last year. The lawsuit alleges that they violated commitments they made in 2019 when HCA purchased Mission Health for $1.5 billion. Those commitments, part of the deal’s asset purchase agreement, regarded cancer care and emergency services at Mission Hospital. Lawyers for HCA countered that it never promised to provide quality healthcare at Mission.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting is made possible by donations from the community.  To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Analysis: Tax filers to pay an average $2,382 more if 2017 legislation expires | North Carolina

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3 hours ago

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May 1, 2025

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 08:16:00

(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,382 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its four state neighbors were similar, with South Carolina lower ($2,319) and higher averages in Virginia ($2,787), Georgia ($2,680) and Tennessee ($2,660).

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.

Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.

The foundation, in summarizing the impact on North Carolina business expensing, says the state conforms to Section 168(k). This means “only 60% expensing for business investments this year and less in future years. State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing, particularly since the state conforms to the Section 163(j) limit on interest expense and the two provisions were meant to work together.”

The foundation says business net operation loss treatment policies in the state “are less generous than the federal government and impose compliance costs due to lack of synchronization with the federal code and are uncompetitive with most other states.”

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” North Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.

The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).

Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.






The post Analysis: Tax filers to pay an average $2,382 more if 2017 legislation expires | North Carolina appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com


Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The content primarily reports on the potential impact of the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relying heavily on analysis from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization but is known to advocate for lower taxes and limited government intervention, positions typically aligned with center-right economic policies. The article uses neutral language in presenting facts and data and does not explicitly advocate for a particular political viewpoint; however, the emphasis on tax increases and business expensing challenges following the expiration suggests a subtle alignment with pro-tax-cut, business-friendly perspectives associated with center-right ideology. Thus, while the article largely reports rather than overtly promotes an ideological stance, the framing and source choice reflect a center-right leaning.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

NIL legislation advances, has exemption for public records laws | North Carolina

Published

14 hours ago

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April 30, 2025

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www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00

(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.

Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.

Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.



Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance




“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”

SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.

“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”

The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.

“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”

Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.

The post NIL legislation advances, has exemption for public records laws | North Carolina appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com


Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

N.C. Treasurer names conservative climate skeptic to state Utilities Commission

Published

20 hours ago

on

April 30, 2025

By

ncnewsline.com – Lisa Sorg – 2025-04-30 15:52:00

SUMMARY: Donald van der Vaart, a former North Carolina environmental secretary and climate skeptic, has been appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Republican Treasurer Brad Briner. Van der Vaart, who previously supported offshore drilling and fracking, would oversee the state’s transition to renewable energy while regulating utility services. His appointment, which requires approval from the state House and Senate, has drawn opposition from environmental groups. Critics argue that his views contradict clean energy progress. The appointment follows a controversial bill passed by the legislature, granting the treasurer appointment power to the commission.

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The post N.C. Treasurer names conservative climate skeptic to state Utilities Commission appeared first on ncnewsline.com

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